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VINDICATION ^ 



OP 



METHODIST EPISCOPACY. 



BY 

NATHAN BANGS. 



" Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shad! 
be increased. " Daniel, xii. 4. 



NEW. YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY NATHAN BANGS AND THOMAS MASON) FOR 
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 

; William A. Mercein, Printer, No; 93 Gold-Street; , 

1820. 



• at!* 



p 



.£; 



Southern District of JVew- York) ss. 

BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the twelfth day of Sep- 
tember, in the forty-fifth year of the Independence* of the 
t/nited States of America, Nathan Bangs, of the said Dis- 
trict, hath deposited in this office the title of a Book, the 
right whereof he claims as Proprietor, in the words follow- 
ing, to wit: 

" A Vindication of Methodist Episcopacy. By Nathan Bangs." 
" Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased." Daniel, xii. 4. 

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United 
States, entitled, " An Act for the encouragement of Learning, 
by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the 
authors and proprietors of such copies, during the tune there- 
in mentioned." And also to an Act, entitled " An Act, 
supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encourage- 
ment of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and 
Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during 
the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits 
thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching histo- 
rical and other prints. ,, G. L. THOMPSON, 

Clerk of the Southern District of New-York. 



VINDICATION, &c. 

Preliminary Observations. 



Perhaps there are few subjects of a re- 
ligious nature involved in greater obscurity, 
and which have occasioned sharper disputes, 
than the question, What was the primitive 
mode of Church government? Its obscurity, 
indeed, affords a very obvious reason why 
ecclesiastical writers have been so much di- 
vided concerning it; — for those questions 
which are expressly revealed as articles of 
faith, or may be easily deduced from given 
principles, do not so readily admit of contro- 
versy; and, therefore, respecting all such, 
Christians are more generally agreed. 

If we had a systematical draft of the 
primitive Church in the Sacred Scriptures, 
with specific reference to the order and man- 
ner of consecrating her ministers, the par- 
ticular mode of her government, &c, we 
might determine, with greater precision, on 
this important question : but we are> left to 



form our judgment upon these points, from 
insulated passages of Scripture, used by the 
writer for other purposes than to prove any 
particular mode of Church government, from 
historical narratives, and from incidental cir- 
cumstances. This imperfect manner, in 
which the order of the Church is sketched 
out in the Holy Scriptures, affords no small 
proof that no specific mode is essential to 
constitute an evangelical Church; otherwise 
the Holy Ghost would doubtless have left us 
full information respecting the exact man- 
ner of organizing the Church, and the official 
duties of her ministers. 

The agitated state of the Christian world 
in relation to this subject, originating, not on- 
ly from the causes already noticed, but also 
from the prejudice of education, and the dif- 
ferent usages which have obtained among 
the several orders of Christians, renders it 
somewhat difficult to settle the present ques- 
tion satisfactorily. Nothing, indeed, is more 
common than for each community of Chris- 
tians to make their own established forms 
of Church government, a medium of Scrip- 



ture interpretation upon this subject; and to 
establish their point, they bring to their aid 
a huge mass of testimony, collected from the 
uncertain traditions of the Church. Thus, 
no sooner does a Protestant Episcopalian 
read the word Bishop, than his imagination 
beholds a modern diocesan, having ecclesiasti- 
cal jurisdiction over a specified number of pa- 
rishes and of parish ministers. A Presbyte- 
rian thinks he sees the pastor of a single con- 
gregation, officiating at stated times, according 
to a mutual contract between him and his 
people. A Roman Catholic, with loftier 
look than either of the former, recognizes, 
whenever he reads of Peter or Paul, a Pope % 
seated in splendid opulence, surrounded with 
his twelve cardinals, and holding an infalliable 
jurisdiction over the judgments and con- 
sciences of all his clergy and people. In this 
manner, each, looking through the glass of 
his own Church establishment, views as 
many different modes of Church government 
as there are different orders of professing 
Christians. 

In the midst of such jarring sentiments, or, 
1* 



6 

a subject rendered more obscure and per- 
plexing still, by the manner in which it has 
been handled by some writers, it cannot be 
reasonably expected that demonstration will 
accompany our inquiries. Divesting our- 
selves, however, as far as possible, of preju- 
dice and prepossession, let us approach the 
subject with that calmness and deliberation 
which ought ever to accompany us in the in- 
vestigation of truth, and with that diffidence 
which becomes dependent and fallible crea- 
tures. 

This inquiry is entered upon at present, 
for the following reasons. 

1. It has frequently been asserted, espe- 
cially by the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
that, whatever right we may have to preach 
the gospel, ne have no authority to admin- 
ister the ordinances, because we have not 
received a valid ordination. This specious 
objection (formerly urged against them by 
the Catholics) it seems necessary to obviate. 
Let it be recollected, however, that while 
our own ministry is vindicated from what we 
consider a false aspersion, we pretend not to 



call in que&tion the authority of other Churh- 
es. Were it practicable, we would gladly 
avoid all animadversions on any other Chris- 
tian community, and present the question 
unembarressed with controversy ; but the 
rude manner in which we have been assail- 
ed upon this point, by some who set up an 
exclusive claim to a valid ministry, by vir- 
tue of an uninterrupted succession of bish- 
ops superior to elders, from the Apostles' 
days, makes it necessary to notice some of 
their arguments. This, however, shall be 
done in as inoffensive a way as the nature of 
the subject will admit; being desirous to give 
needless pain to no one; much less to un- 
christian them, by calling in question the au- 
thority of their ministers, or the validity of 
their ordinances. For the reasons already 
assigned, ecclesiastical writers, who investi- 
gate this subject, ought to evince a spirit of 
forbearance towards each other. Were an 
exact archetype of the Christian Church, as it 
relates to her ministerial orders and functions, 
found in the Holy Scriptures, we could speak 
with less diffidence, ami pronounce with 



8 

greater certainty. But, without presuming to 
condemn others, we think we have sufficient 
authority from the Scriptures of truth, and 
from the usages of the primitive Church, to 
do as we have done, and as we still continue 
to do. 

It is certainly matter of no small conse- 
quence to ascertain whether all the persons 
baptized by us, and others not belonging to the 
Protestant Episcopalians, were legally bap- 
tized or not, — whether all those who receive 
the sacraments at our hands, are guilty of par- 
taking of unconsecrated bread and wine, — 
and whether all those ministers who honestly 
dissent from them in respect to the divine 
right of episcopacy, are intruders into the sa- 
cred office. The sweeping arguments used 
by our antagonists upon this subject, spread 
wide desolation among the Churches not un- 
der their ecclesiastical jurisdiction. From 
the unhappy consequences resulting from 
such comprehensive assertions, as go to ex- 
clude all others from the right of administer- 
ing the ordinances of Christ, we think our- 
selves bound in conscience to exempt our- 



9 

selves, because we think it a matter of high 
importance to justify a practice so intimately 
connected with the present and future happi- 
ness of immortal souls. 

2. This is the more necessary, because 
there are very many among us, not having 
made this subject a matter of study, are at a 
loss for arguments of self defence when as- 
sailed by those who endeavour to shake theiF 
faith. For the purpose of confirming the 
faith of all such, an analogy between our 
own and the primitive Church will be at- 
tempted. 

3. There are others to whom we are little 
known. They may have heard of us by the 
hearing of the ear, and perhaps the reports 
have generally been unfavourable. To rec- 
tify the mistakes of all such, we will present 
them with a concise, but impartial view of 
the manner in which our ministers are call- 
ed, educated, consecrated, and governed. — 
They will then be able to judge for them- 
selves respecting the authority of our minis- 
try, and the validity of our ordinances. 

in accomplishing the object we have in 



10 

view, it is not necessary to plod through 
the annals of Church history, from the 
Apostles to the present time. This would 
be a toilsome work. Among other reasons 
which might be offered for avoiding a mode 
of investigation so prolix and perplexing, one 
is, that the corruptions which shaded the 
pure doctrines of Christianity at an early pe- 
riod of the Church, also affected, in no small 
degree, the leaders of the flock. Pride and 
ambition prompted tnose of them, who had 
become eminent by their talents, to exercise 
a lordly dominion over theii inferiors, and to 
extend their clerical jurisdiction beyond the 
bounds originally prescribed them by Christ 
and his Apostles. Having once gained the as- 
cendency, so far from suffering a diminution 
©f their power and authority, they sought 
every opportunity to augment and strength- 
en it. In vain, therefore, may we seek for 
a primitive model of the Church, among the 
writings of the Fathers, especially after the 
close of the third century of the Christian 
era. In the course of this investigation, 
however, we hope to derive some assistance 



11 

from the early history of the Church, re 
minding ourselves, in the mean time, of the 
fallibility of ecclesiastical writers, upon this, 
as well as upon all other subjects. When we 
take leave of the inspired writers, we no 
longer have an infallible guide. 

To the Scriptures, therefore, we must 
make our ultimate appeal, upon this, as well 
as upon all other subjects of an ecclesiastical 
nature. So far as they lend us their infallible 
light, and we suffer ourselves to be guided 
by it, we shall not be led astray. However, 
that the Church has always been governed 
by Bishops, if we understand that term ac- 
cording to its primitive import, cannot be 
truly disputed; but that the word designated 
an officer in the Church, at its first establish- 
ment, distinct from, and superior to elders, 
is, we believe, more than can be proved. 

Having made these preliminary observa- 
tions, we proceed to inquire, 

1. Into the distinct orders of ministers by 
which the primitive Church was instructed 
and governed; and in prosecuting the inqui- 



12 



ry, we shall endeavour to ascertain the du- 
ties peculiar to each. 



CHAPTER I. 

Deacons a distinct order in the Church. 

I. It will be admitted, I presume, on all 
hands, that there were what were call- 
ed Ainxovot, Deacons, (servants,) in the 
Church : and besides their being charged 
with distributing the alms of the Church to 
the poor, it was their duty to preach the 
word. It appears evident from Acts vi. 6, 
that they were solemnly set apart to their of- 
fice by prayer and imposition of hands. And 
though civil magistrates are designated by the 
same term in various parts of Scripture, and 
though these men, mentioned in Acts, were 
especially called to administer to the poor 
widows, yet it is manifest that they were suc- 
cessful ministers of the Gospel of Christ; for 
it is said of Stephen, who was one of the se- 
ven deacons above-mentioned, that he was 
" full of faith and power," and that he " did 
great wonders and miracles among the peo- 
ple, " Acts vi. 8. And in the very next 
chapter, we have recorded his admirable 



13 

discourse which he delivered in his own de- 
fence, in the presence of his inveterate ene* 
mies and accusers, the Jews. Philip was 
also one of those before-mentioned, that was 
set apart by prayer and imposition of hands, 
by the Apostles : but in Acts viii. 4, it is said, 
" Therefore they that were scattered abroad 
went every where preaching the word; ver. 
5. " Then Philip went down to the city of 
Samaria, and preached Christ unto them;" 
and in verse 12, we read, "But when they 
believed Philip, preaching the things con- 
cerning the kingdom of God, and the name of 
Jesus Chiist, they were baptized, both men 
and women." From these Scripture facts, 
it is undeniably manifest, that those denomi- 
nated deacons in the Church of God, were not 
merely lay-members, appointed for the tem- 
poral services of the Church; but they were 
approved ministers of the word, successfully 
employed in carrying the glad tidings of sal- 
vation to the Gentile world. 

That these servants of the Church were 
a grade of ministers inferior, in respect to of- 
fice, to the elders, is evident from several 



14 

considerations. 1. Though all ministers, and 
even Christ himself, were called Acaawot, 
Servants, on account of their faithful services 
in the Church, yet these men wefe em- 
phatically so called, because, it is supposed, 
they were appointed to serve the Apostles, 
by acting under their special direction. 2. 
St. Paul, 1 Tim. iii. after having characteri- 
zed the persons proper for bishops, proceed* 
to notice the duties of the deacons, — " Like- 
wise must the deacons be grave :" " For they 
that have used the office of a deacon well, 
purchase to themselves a good degree, and 
great boldness in the faith which is in Christ 
Jesus." From this passage, it appears ob- 
vious, that after being proved, ver. 10, as pro- 
bationers in the ministry, and having been 
exalted to the office of deacons by the impo- 
sition of hands; and also having used the of- 
fice of a deacon well, they purchased to them* 
selves a good degree; that is, they were quali- 
fied to become elders in the Church. These 
considerations sufficiently evince the inferi- 
ority of the deacons to the elders; and yet 
they were preachers of the word, and had 



15 

authority to administer the ordinance of bap- 
tism, as appears from Acts viii. 12. 

The same order of men is recognized, and 
as ministers of the word too, in the epistles 
of the primitive Fathers, — " Let the deacons 
be blameless in his sight, as the ministers of 
God in Christ, and not of men : not evil speak- 
ers, nor double tongued, not lovers of mo- 
ney ; but compassionate, careful, diligent, 
temperate in all things, walking according to 
the truth of the Lord, who was the servant 
of all." Epistle of Polycarp to the Philip- 
pians. St. Ignatius also, in his Epistle to the 
Ephesians, distinguishes between the order 
of deacons and bishops : " Concerning my fel- 
low-servant Burrahsy according to the will of 
God your deacon, blessed in all things, I pray 
that he may remain to the honour of you 
and your bishop." And in his Epistle to the 
Magnesians, after mentioning the bishop and 
presbyters, as a higher order of ministers, he 
says, " And your deacons, most dear to me, 
being intrusted with the ministry of Jesus 
Christ," He introduces them, in his Epistle 
to the Trallians, in a similar way, recognizing 



16 

them as ministers of the Gospel of Christ.— 
" The deacons also, as being the ministers of 
the mysteries of Jesus Christ, must, by all 
means, please all : for they are not the min- 
isters of meat and drink, but of the Church 
of God. Therefore they must avoid all of- 
fences, as they would do fire." To the Phi- 
ladelphians he observes, " As concerning 
Philo, the deacon of Cilicia,he still ministers 
unto me in the word of God." To the Smyr- 
neans he says, " Ye have done well in that 
ye have received Philo and Rheus, who fol- 
lowed me for the word of God, the deacons 
of Christ our God." 

From these quotations, both from the word 
of God and the writings of these Fathers, it 
appears evident that those denominated dea- 
cons, were not mere lay-members attending 
to the temporalities of the Church; but they 
were regular ministers of the word, were 
set apart for that work by the laying on of 
the hands of the Apostles, and that they did 
administer the ordinance of baptism, and 
very probably assisted in the holy eucharist. 

Let us now see whether the Methodist 



♦ 17 

Episcopal Church has, in this respect, fol- 
lowed the Apostolic usage and custom. Af- 
ter having proved a young man, who thinks 
himself called of God to the work of the 
ministry, by employing him two years as a 
probationer in the itinerating ministry, he is, 
if no sufficient reason can be assigned to the 
contrary, ordained a deacon, by the laying on 
of the hands of the bishop. And what are 
the duties peculiar to his office as a deacon? 
Ans. " It appertaineth to the office of a dea- 
con to assist the elder in divine service. — 
And especially, when he ministereth the holy 
communion, to help him in the distribution 
thereof, and to read and expound the Holy 
Scriptures; to instruct the youth, and in the 
absence of the elder, to baptize. And fur- 
thermore, it is his office to search for the 
sick, poor, and impotent, that they may be 
visited and relieved "* 

So also it is said in section 7th of the form 
of discipline concerning the duties of a tra- 
velling deacon, that he is, 1st, u To baptize, 
and perform the office of matrimony, in the 

* Consecration service. 
2* 



1 % 3 

absence of the elder. 2d, To assist the elder 
in administering the Lord's Supper. 3d, To 
do all the duties of a travelling preacher.' 5 
Here, then, are enumerated all those duties 
of a deacon, which the Holy Scriptures have 
authorized him to perform. In this part of 
our ministry, therefore, we have not followed 
a cunningly devised fable, but the word of the 
living God. And which Church is most ac- 
cording to Apostolic order, that which has 
preaching deacons, going to and fro, sowing 
the seed of eternal life; or that which has 
but one order of ministers, by whatever 
name they may be called, and whose deacons 
are recognized only as lay-members, and at- 
tend only to the temporal concerns of the 
Church, or at least are never connected with 
the ministry ? Those who have attentively 
considered the above extracts from Ignatius, 
and others, and have compared them with 
the Scripture quotations, must acknowledge 
that we have all the authority any one could 
desire to justify our practice in respect to 
this officer in the Church. In the Apostles' 
days, he preached* baptized, and took the 



19 

oversight of the poor : our discipline en- 
joins the same duties on the deacons; there- 
fore, in this respect, we are Apostolic. 



CHAPTER II. 

Of the Elders, and their duty. 

The second officer in the Church, in the 
order of the ministry, is Elder, or Presbyter, 
and who is sometimes called Bishop. That 
those denominated Bishops, Elders, or Pres- 
byters, in the Apostolical writings, were one 
and the same order of men, we will now en- 
deavour to demonstrate. 

St. Paul, in his letter to Titus, assigning a 
reason why he left him in Crete, says, "That 
thou shouldest set in order the things that 
are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, 
as I had appointed thee. 5 ' — " If any be blame- 
less, the husband of one wife, having faithful 
children, not accused of riot, or unruly : For 
a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of 
God." In this passage, it is most obvious that 
the Apostle uses the word ctgEafottg a$, Elder, 
or Presbyter, and ttiaxotios, Bishop, or as the 
word should be more properly rendered- 



2Q 

psermr, as convertible term?, designating 
thereby the same person: for the same cha- 
racter is described throughout the passage as 
should be suitable to be ordained to the of- 
fice of an overseer or elder ia the Church of 
God. And here we may observe, that m as 
much as the deacons were appointed to their 
office by the imposition of hands and prayer, 
and as the elders were set apart to their of- 
I by the same ceremony, it is reasonable 
conclude, that, in order to constitute an 
elder, there was a second consecration ; 
■ according to the present usage in an 
Episcopal Church. This argument may be 
deemed sumcient. at least, to justify the 
pra: laying on of the hands of the 

presbytery, t bate a deacon an elder 

in the Church. 

To return : — In Acts kx. 17, it is said that 
S : . P s a 1 l he <s#* 5fo*££(*<, elders of the 

Church: aud inre. e addresses them 

in the following manner.—" Take heed 
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the 
flock, over v.hich the Holy Ghost halh made 
yoa zzaxomovk bishops or averse ers." In t: 



21 

place, it is equally manifest that the identical 
persons are called, indifferently, elders and 
overseers, a proof that they were then con- 
sidered the same order. And that these 
bishops or overseers could not have had 
that extensive jurisdiction, which a modern 
diocesan has, nor have been of a superior 
grade to elders, is evident, from there having 
been a plurality of them in the single city of 
Ephesus. A plurality of diocesan bishops, 
exercising ecclesiastical jurisdiction over a 
number of presbyters or elders, each of 
whom had charge of a particular congrega- 
tion, in one city ! Such a phenomenon could 
not have existed in the Church at that, nor 
at any subsequent period. That there was 
not an order of ministers, called elders, in- 
ferior to bishops, but superior to deacons, in 
the Church at that time, may be fairly con- 
cluded from St. Paul's address to the Phi- 
lippians, chap. i. 1. He dedicates his Epis- 
tle, " To all the saints in Christ Jesus which 
are at Philippi, with the bishops and dea- 
cons." If there had been an order of minis- 
ters in this Church coming between the bish- 
ops and deacons, called elders, is it not highly 



22 

probable the Apostle would have mentioned 
them in this connexion ? This circumstance, 
therefore, I consider no slender proof of our 
position, namely, that bishops and elders 
were one order. 

Let it be recollected, that those ministers, 
denominated bishops now, are never con- 
fined to a single congregation,but their charge 
extends over a number of parishes, including, 
in the bounds of their jurisdiction, more or 
less of presbyters and deacons; whereas, in 
the primitive times, they were each pastors 
of a single congregation, and this is another 
proof they were not a superior order to the 
elders. And this is manifest, not only from 
the Scriptures already adduced, but also from 
the writings of the primitive Fathers,as well as 
the testimony of ecclesiastical history. " It 
is, therefore, necessary, that without your 
bishop you should do nothing." Epistle of 
Ignatius to the Trallians. "Let no man," 
says he, to the Smyrneans, "do any thing of 
what belongs to the Church, separately from 
the bishop. Let that eucharist be looked 
upon as well established, which is either of- 
fered by the bishop, or by him to whom the 
bishop has given Jbis consent. Wheresoever 



23 

the bishop shall appear, there let the people 
also be : as where Jesus Christ is, there is 
the Catholic Church. It is not lawful with- 
out the bishop, either to baptize or to cele- 
brate the holy communion; but whatsoever 
he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to 
God." So St. Poljrcarp, who was bishop of 
the Church of Smyrna, says, " Let nothing 
be done without thy knowledge and con- 
sent : neither do thou any thing but accord- 
ing to the will of God, as also thou dost, 
with all constancy. Let your assemblies be 
more frequent : inquire into all by name." 

Now, although it is not said expressly, in 
either of the above quotations, that the bish- 
op was the pastor of a single congregation, 
yet it is obviously inferable he was so, from 
the duties he is exhorted to perform, as well 
as from what the Church is commanded to do 
in reference to their bishop. If from the 
duties of his office he exercised an extensive 
jurisdiction over a number of cities and pro- 
vinces, resembling the episcopal charge of a 
modern diocesan, how could he see all things 
done with his own eyes? How could he " in- 
quire into all by name," not even " overlook- 



24 

ing the men and maid servants," as Polycarp 
was commanded to do ! If not " lawful to 
baptize, nor celebrate the»holy communion, 
nor even to marry," without the bishop, nor 
" do any thing of what appertains to the 
Church," without him, then surely there must 
have been a bishop always resident in every 
congregation, as its immediate pastor. It 
would not have been possible to have per- 
formed these duties, if the bishops of those 
days held the same rank in the Church 
which they now do. These very epistles^ 
therefore, so often appealed to in support of an 
uninterrupted succession of bishops, holding 
an extensive episcopal jurisdiction over pres- 
byters, deacons and people, prove directly the 
reverse; for it is manifest that the bishops in 
the days of Ignatius, instead of resembling 
the bishops of our day, were more like the 
stated pastors of the Presbyterian congrega- 
tions, or the stated elders of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, in their city and country 
charges. 

Such pastors, exercising their office as el- 
ders or overseers in their individual charges, 
may comply with the requisitions before 



20 



mentioned by Ignatius. They can know 
(especially those whose church members are 
divided into " small companies, called class- 
es," and are met by the minister once in 
three months) each person by name ; can ad- 
minister the sacraments, visit the sick and 
poor of the Jlock, perform the marriage rites, 
and personally superintend all the spiritual 
and temporal concerns of the Church. And 
in those cities where a number of pastors 
are united together over several congrega- 
tions, one of these elders, better qualified 
on account of his talent, age, and experience, 
may, for the time being, have the special 
oversight of all the rest: and in this sense 
he may be termed a bishop or overseer, in 
distinction from the elders who act under 
him, though, at the same time, he may not 
be of a higher grade in the ministry. This, 
in respect to our own Church, we know is 
frequently done. Allowing this to have 
been the custom in the primitive Church, 
and without doubt it was, we can easily re- 
concile the language of Ignatius, and others 
of the Fathers, in other parts of their epis- 
tles, with the quotations already made from 
3 



£6 

their writings. Thus Ignatius exhorts the 
Ephesians, " That ye all come together, in 
one faith, obejing your bishop and your pres- 
bytery with entire affection." In his epis- 
tle to the Magnesians, his language is in 
perfect conformity to this idea : — " Your 
bishop," says he, "presiding in the place of 
God ; your presbyters in the place of the 
council of the Apostles." " As, therefore, the 
Lord did nothing without the Father, neither 
by himself, nor yet by his Apostles; so nei- 
ther do ye any thing without your bishop and 
presbyters." 

From such, and ether similar passages 
found in the Apostolic Fathers, some have in- 
ferred that the bishops were a dintinct order 
from the elders; whereas the truth appears 
to be, that those here called bishops, were 
such of the elders as were appointed to pre- 
side in their councils, and to take the over- 
sight, as presidents, of all the elders, (where 
a number of them were associated together 
in one charge,) deacons, and people : other- 
wise, these bishops must have occupied the 
place of the itinerating evangelists, who were, 
in the Apotles 1 days, an order of ministers 



27 

superior to the elders, and who extended 
their oversight to the whole Church. If, 
however, this were the case, they no long- 
er held that distinguished rank among the 
Churches, they formerly did, as itinerating 
ministers; because, it is evident, these bish- 
ops were stationary, having each the charge 
of a particular congregation; which could 
not have been the case with those itinerating 
evangelists, who, like the apostles, were 
continually moving from place to place, and 
taking the special oversight of all the 
Churches. 

That our ideas respecting the work and 
rank of these elders or bishops, are correct, 
will appear further evident from ecclesias- 
tical history, which, indeed, derives its in- 
formation respecting these circumstances, 
from those writings we have already con- 
sulted : but it is appealed to here, to show 
that impartial men, who have examined this 
subject, were of the same sentiment with 
ourselves. Mosheim, after having spoken 
concerning the government of the Church, 
at its first establishment, observes, " Such 
was the institution of the Christian Church 



28 

in its infancy, when its assemblies were nei- 
ther numerous nor splendid. Three or four 
presbyters, men of remarkable . piety and 
wisdom, ruled these small congregations in 
perfect harmony; nor did they stand in need 
of any president or superior, to maintain 
concord and order, where no dissentions 
were known. But the number of the pres- 
byters and deacons increasing with that of 
the Churches, and the sacred work of the 
ministry growing more painful and weigh- 
ty) by a number of additional duties, — 
these new circumstances required new re- 
gulations. It was then judged necessary, 
that one man, of distinguished gravity and 
wisdom, should preside in the council of 
presbyters, in order to distribute among his 
colleagues their several tasks, and to be a 
centre of union to the whole society. This 
person was, at first, styled the angel of the 
Church to which he belonged, but was after- 
wards distinguished by the name of bishop; 
a name borrowed from the Greek language, 
and expressing the principal part of the epis- 
copal function, which was to inspect into, 
and superintend the affairs of the Church 



29 

It is highly probable, that the Church of Je 
rusalem, grown considerably numerous, and 
deprived of the ministry of the Apostles, who 
were gone to instruct the other nations, was 
the first who chose a president or bishop. " 
" Let none, however, confound the bishops 
of this primitive and golden period of the 
church, with those of whom we read in the 
following ages. For, though they were both 
distinguished by the same name, yet they 
differed extremely, and that in many re- 
spects. A bishop, during the first and se- 
cond century, was a person who had the care 
of one Christian assembly, which, at that 
time, was, generally speaking, small enough 
to be contained in a private house. In this 
assembly he acted not so much with the au- 
thority of a master, as with the zeal and di- 
ligence of a faithful servant. He instructed 
the people, performed the several parts of 
divine worship, attended the sick, and in- 
spected into the circumstances and supplies 
of the poor. He charged, indeed, the pres- 
byters with the performance of those du- 
ties and services, which the multiplicity of 
his engagements rendered it impossible for 



30 

him to fulfil;— but had not the power to de» 
cide or enact any thing without the consent 
of the presbyters and people." — Vol. i. 
p. 102. 

Those who impartially attend to this quo- 
tation from Mosheim, cannot but notice the 
coincidence between the practice of the 
primitive Church and that of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, in respect to the office and 
work of their elders or presbyters. In the 
absence of the Apostles, the presbyters ap- 
pointed one of their own order to M preside 
in their councils," and " to distribute among 
his colleagues their several tasks ;" and was 
so far from exercising a lordly influence over 
his brethren as a superior minister, that he 
behaved as a servant, and had his own charge 
as an individual pastor. Every one who has 
made himself acquainted with our economy, 
knows this to be our practice. In those ci- 
ties, for instance, where a number of elders 
are required to act in conjunction, one is se- 
lected to take the charge of the whole : the 
others form his council, with whom he con- 
fers on all matters of importance, and he as- 
signs to each his work. In this respect. 



31 

therefore, we have the sanction of the pri- 
mitive Church for what we do. And if fur 
ther testimony were necessary, to corrobo- 
rate the testimony of Mosheim on this sub- 
ject, we might add that of Tertullian, who 
says, " Those who preside among us are 
elderly persons, not distinguished for their 
opulence, but worth of character." 

That these ministers, denominated bishops 
and elders, were equal in ecclesiastical au- 
thority, except under the circumstances 
above-mentioned, is further evident from 
the testimony of some modern episcopal wri- 
ters themselves. 

It ought to be recollected, that at the time 
of the Reformation, those denominated Pro- 
testants, in consequence of their having pro- 
tested against the unscriptural usurpations 
df the Church of Rome, were assailed by 
their adversaries, in a similar manner, and 
with the same arguments, with which they 
now attempt to overthrow us. The Church 
of Rome contended for uninterrupted succes- 
sion in the episcopal office, and that this suc- 
cession was confined to that Church, from 
which the reformers had seceded; and, there- 



32 

fore, it was urged, with great vehemence 3 
that the Protestants were an unauthorized 
body of ministers. To repel these argu- 
ments, the Protestant bishops plead the ne- 
cessity of a reform, and that they were jus- 
tified on that ground, even allowing the truth 
of the doctrine of succession, in departing 
from the established order of the Church 
they had left. Not resting, however, their 
cause upon this single point, the} r assumed 
the proposition we have already attempted to 
establish, namely, that, in the primitive 
Church, bishops and presbyters were one 
order of ministers, and were invested with 
full powers to consecrate inferior and supe- 
rior ministers, and to govern the Church. 
This is proveable from their own words. 

Thus, Archbishop Usher, in his letter to 
Dr. Bernard : " 1 have ever declared my 
opinion to be, that episcopus and presbytre, 
gradu tantura differnnt non .ordine, and, con- 
sequently, that in places where bishops can- 
not be had, the ordination of presbyters stands 
valid." The same prelate, in his answer to 
Baxter, says, '§ The king having asked me 
at the Isle of Wight, whether 1 found in anti- 






33 

quity that presbyters alone ordained any ? I 
replied, Yes; and that I could show his ma- 
jesty more, even where presbyters alone 
successively ordained bishops." 

Sillingfleet, in his Ironicum, observes, 
that " bishops and priests were, at one time, 
not two things, but both one office, in the 
beginning of Christ's religion." 

In vindicating St. Jerome from the charge 
of contradiction, which some strove to fix up- 
on him, Stillingfleet says, " Jerome spends 
great part of his epistle, to prove that a 
bishop and a presbyter are the same. Is it 
imaginable, that a man, who had been prov- 
ing all along the superiority of a presbyter 
above a deacon, because of his identity with 
a bishop in the Apostles' time, should, at the 
same time, say, that a bishop was above a 
presbyter by the Apostle's instruction, and so 
directly overthrow all he had been saying be- 
fore ? The plain meaning of Jerome, then, 
is no more than this; as Aaron and his sons, 
in the order of priesthood, were above the 
Levites, und^r the law; so the bishops and 
presbyters, in the order of the evangelical 
priesthood, are above the deacons, under the 



34 

gospel. The comparison runs not between 
Aaron and his sons under the law, and bish- 
ops and presbyters under the gospel ; but 
between Aaron and his sons as one part, and 
the Levites as the other; so, under the gos- 
pel, bishops and presbyters make one part 
of the comparison, and the other part, under 
the gospel, is that of deacons. The opposi- 
tion is between the same power of order, 
which is alike in bishops and presbyters, to 
that of deacons, which stood in competition 
with them. The scope and drift of Jerome's 
epistle, was to chastize one who made dea- 
cons superior (or equal) to presbyters." 

Now, from these quotations from ecclesi- 
astical writers of acknowledged probity and 
ability, it appears evident that they under- 
stood the scriptures upon this point as we 
do. But the question now arises, What pow- 
ers did these presbyters or bishops possess? 
Had they the inherent right to govern the 
Church, to consecrate ministers, and to do 
the whole work of the ministry ? These are 
questions of no small importance, in deter- 
mining the validity of the ordinances, as ad- 



. 3d 

ministered by the ministry of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

In pursuance of this design, I shall under- 
take to prove, that the body of elders, in 
their collective capacity, had the right of 
consecrating ministers, and of establishing 
ordinances for the government of the Church. 
The first authority to which we appeal for 
the support of this proposition, is Acts xiii. 
1, where we have an account of St. Paul's 
consecration. u Now there were in the 
Church that was at Antioch, certain prophets 
and teachers, as Barnabas and Simeon, that 
was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and 
Manaen, which had been brought up with 
Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they mi- 
nistered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy 
Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, 
for the work whereunto 1 have called them. 
And when they had fasted and prayed, and 
laid their hands on them, they sent them 
away." This is the only place that I know 
of, where we read of St. Paul's being set 
apart by men to the work of the ministry; 
and this was performed by an associated bo- 



36 

$y of ministers, denominated prophets and 
teachers. This passage of sacred scripture 
gives us an accurate idea of the primitive 
method of consecrating men for the gospel 
ministry. Not one of the twelve Apostles is 
mentioned in this list of names : from whence 
we may conclude that the power of conse- 
cration was not confined to them, from whom 
it is pretended that the right of ordaining mi- 
nisters is derived. Neither are they called 
bishops; although there can be no doubt but 
they were elders, or the authorized over- 
seers of the Church; otherwise, St. Paul 
would never have consented to receive his 
credentials, as a minister, from them. But 
that he felt himself invested with an autho- 
rity now, which he did not before possess, 
is manifest, from his entering immediately 
upon the work of establishing churches, 
wherever success attended his ministerial 
labours; a work in which we do not find 
him engaged heretofore, although he had 
long been employed in preaching the gospel. 
From 1 Tim. iv. 14, it appears that Timo- 
thy was set apart for the work of the ministry 



37 

by the same means. " Neglect not the gift 
that is in thee, which was given thee by pro- 
phecy, with the laying on of the hands of the 
presbytery." It is true, the Apostle exhorts 
Timothy, in his second epistle, to " stir up 
the gift of God which is in thee, by the put- 
ting on of my hands." But these two pas- 
sages may be easily reconciled, either by 
supposing that St. Paul himself ordained Ti- 
mothy to the office of a deacon, and that he 
was consecrated afterwards to the office of an 
elder, by the laying on of the hands of the 
presbytery ; or, that when he was consecrated 
to his sacred office, the presbyters assisted 
in the ceremony, the Apostle acting as the 
presiding minister. Both of these usages are 
sanctioned by an episcopal ordination. From 
these examples, we are authorized in con- 
cluding, that an associated body of elders 
have the right of consecrating men, other- 
wise qualified, for the work of the ministry. 
We shall apply this remark to the first estab- 
lishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
when we come to that part of our subject; 
for it appears evident, from the account above 

referred to of St. Paul's consecration, that 

4 



m 



elders did ordain men who were appointed t© 
rule over them in the ministry. 

But let us now inquire whether the prac- 
tice of the Church in after ages corrobo- 
rates the interpretation we have given to the 
above passages of scripture.. Let it be re- 
membered, in the mean time, that we are 
not now inquiring whether there were, or 
were not, ministers in the Church superior 
to elders or bishops, nor whether these su- 
perior ministers did ordain other inferior mi- 
nisters or not ; — but the question now under 
consideration is, whether elders and bishops 
were the same order of ministers, and whe- 
ther they possessed the right of consecra- 
tion. These two last positions we maintain 
are defensible, both from scripture and the 
primitive usage of the Church. As we have 
already adduced scripture testimony on the 
point, we will now proceed to introduce the 
testimony of ecclesiastical writers of a more 
modern date. 

Those who are acquainted with the history 
of the Church, well know that the presby- 
ters of the Church at Alexandria were in 
the habit of ordaining, their bishops, when- 



39 

ever a vacancy happened by death or other- 
wise. For the truth of this, we have the tes- 
timony of Archbishop Usher, of St. Jerome, 
and of Eutychius, a patriarch of Alexandria. 
The reason, it is presumed, why this prac- 
tice was kept up in the Church of Alexandria 
is, that those presbyters preferred the simple 
mode of primitive ordination to that more 
pompous method which had obtained in some 
other branches of the Church, after the li- 
berty of the presbyters was restricted, by in- 
vesting that authority in the hands of supe- 
rior ministers. 

That the presbyters possessed this power, 
and exercised it, is conceded by many emi- 
nent men, even bishops of the Church of 
England. Stillingfleet, after having spoken 
of the usages of the Jewish Church, says, 
" The same distinction may be observed un- 
der the gospel, in reference to the fixed of- 
ficers of the Church ; for we may consider 
them in their first state and period ; as the 
presbyters did rule the Church in common, 
as Jerome tells us. Before the jurisdiction of 
presbyters was restrained by mutual con' 



40 

sent, the presbyters enjoyed the same liber- 
ty that the presbyters among the Jews did, of 
ordaining other presbyters, by that power 
they were invested in, or with, at their own 
ordination. In the first primitive church, 
the presbyters all acted in common, for the 
welfare of the church, and either did, or 
might ordain to the same authority with them- 
selves ; because the intrinsical power of or- 
der is equally in them, and' in those who 
were afterwards appointed governors over 
presbyters. And the collation of orders 
doth run from the power of order, and not 
merely from the power of jurisdiction. 

" It being likewise fully acknowledged by 
the schoolmen, that bishops are not superior 
above presbyters, as to the power of order. 
The clearest evidence of this is in the Church 
of Alexandria, of which Jerome speaks. To 
which we may add what Eutychius, the Patri- 
arch of Alexandria, saith in his Origines Eccle- 
sice Alexandrine?, (or Annals of the Church of 
Alexandria,) published in Arabic by the most 
learned Selden, who expressly affirms, that the 
twelve presbyters, constituted by Mark, up- 
on the vacancy of the see, did choose out of 



41 

their number, one to be head over the rest, 
and the other eleven did lay their hands up- 
on him, and blessed him, and made him pa- 
triarch. " From these quotations, and many 
more might be added, it appears evident that 
presbyters, in the days of the apostles, and for 
some time afterwards, did ordain other pres- 
byters, and also, when it was thought expe- 
dient, they ordained those who should be 
placed over them. 

We are now prepared, I think, to meet the 
great objection which has been so often made 
against the validity of the ordination of the first 
officers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
by Mr. Wesley, because he was nothing 
more than a presbyter in the Church of Eng- 
land. Presbyters ordained in the primitive 
Church, and when Mr. Wesley* consecrated 
Thomas Coke, LL. D. who was also a pres- 
byter of the English Church, other presby- 
ters of the same Church were associated with 
him, and assisted in the ceremony. Thus far 
then, all is according to apostolic order. 

But, prehaps, the most material objection 

remains yet unobviated, namely, " That if 

the power of ordination was radically in the 
4* 



42 



eldership, why did not Mr. Wesley leave it 
there 1 Why did he consecrate Dr. Coke, 
who was already an elder, to the office of a 
superintendent or bishop ? To this objec- 
tion I would answer, in the first place, in the 
language of Mr. Wesley himself, that he 
preferred the Episcopal mode of Church go- 
vernment to any other; and therefore, when 
he was about to establish the societies raised 
up under his care in America, into an in- 
dependent community, he followed the dic- 
tates of his own judgment, and gave them the 
episcopal form of Church government. 

But, says the objector, " have presbyters 
authority to constitute a minister superior 
to themselves ?" Undoubtedly. It will be 
admitted, I believe, on all hands, that the 
Apostles were a grade of ministers superior to 
the elders; and yet, as we have already seen, 
St. Paul was ordained by a body of elders, 
Acts 13, 1—4. 



CHAPTER III. 

Of Evangelists and their Duty. 
A third order in the Church, called 
Evangelists, were the immediate successors of 



43 

the apoatles. That the apostles themselves 
held a spiritual dominion over all the elders, 
deacons, and people, is indisputable. The 
apostle Paul, after enumerating his labours 
and sufferings in the cause of Christ, says, 
" Besides that which cometh upon me daily, 
the care of all the Churches." These were 
the men who astonished the world with 
their immense labours, while they itinera- 
ted through the land, and proclaimed every 
where that Jesus Christ was the Saviour of all 
men, especially of them that believe. And they 
must have had successors in this great work. 
These were the great itinerating evangelists; 
among whom were Timothy and Titus. — 
" These were ministers in the primitive 
Church, who seem to have been assistants to 
the apostles, in propagating the Gospel; and 
whom, accordingly, they sent from place t© 
place, to execute such particular commission 
as they thought proper to intrust them 
with."* In Acts xxi. 8. Philip, who was 
one of the seven deacons appointed formerly 
to administer to the poor widows, is called 

* Parkkurst. 



44 

an Evangelist. It is highly probable, that, 
having " used the office of a deacon well, he 
had purchased to himself a good degree, and 
great boldness in the faith:" and accordingly 
he had been raised, on account of his eminent 
attainments and great usefulness in the minis- 
try, not only to the office of an elder, but to 
that of an evangelist. So Timothy, 2d Epis- 
tle, chap, iv.ver. 5. is exhorted to do the work 
of an evangelist. To these itinerating mi- 
nisters was committed the general oversight 
of the Church, in the absence of the apostles, 
during the lifetime of the latter; and after 
their death these evangelists succeeded them 
in the government of the Church; and this is 
the order of ministers, who in after days, 
when the title of evangilests would not apply 
to them, on account of their having abandon- 
ed the labour of an itinerant life and minis- 
try, were denominated bishops. 

That they were assistants to the apostles 
during their lifetime, is manifest from seve- 
ral considerations. 1. In Acts xix. 21, 22, 
it is said, that when Paul " purposed in his 
spirit to go into Macedonia, &c." he " sent 
into Macedonia two of them that ministered 






45 

unto him, Timotheus and Erastus," while 
" he himself stayed in Asia for a season." 
From this account, it is evident that Timothy 
was sent by the apostle to supply his lack 
©f service until he should arrive; which 
manifestly proves that Timothy acted as an 
aid to the apostle. 

2. Titus, who was another of these Evan- 
gelists, was instructed by the apostle to 
abide at Crete, whither he had been sent to 
ordain elders and set things in-order, until 
Artemas or Tychichus should be sent to sup- 
ply his place. Titus, therefore, was not a 
settled pastor over the Cretians, but was an 
itinerating evangelist sent there by the apos- 
tle for a particular purpose. In the multi- 
plication of Churches, through the abundant 
labours of the apostles and other inferior 
ministers, the apostles found themselves in- 
adequate to the arduous duties which arose 
out of the increase of the Churches, and 
which required their personal attendance; 
and therefore, to supply this deficiency, they 
•elected men from among the elders, — men 
who had, by their fidelity and zeal, proved 
themselves " worthy of double honour," <m 



64 

account of having " ruled well," as then 
assistants in this great work; and these, as 
before stated, were sent, from time to time, 
to those places where their peculiar labours 
were most wanted. 

3. We find the apostle Paul giving them 
instructions how to demean themselves in 
the discharge of their official duties ; and, 
among other things, they were to set the 
Churches in order , and ordain elders in every 
&ity ; but the setting the Churches in order 
belonged to the apostles, or to those who act- 
ed under their directions; and, therefore, in- 
asmuch as these evangelists took the go- 
vernment of the Church as itinerating minis- 
ters, they must have done it as the aids of 
the apostles. Travelling, as they did, from 
city to city, and from one province to ano- 
ther, they were enabled, not only to preach 
the gospel extensively, but also to inspect 
all the affairs of the Church themselves, 
and to set every thing in order that was 
wanting. 

This order of ministers bore the same re- 
lation to the primitive Church, that the bish- 
ops of the Methodist Episcopal Church do to 



47 



their Church. The most material difference 
is in the name; and certainly the mere name 
alters not the nature of the thing. Besides, 
if we consider the name according to the 
primitive import of the word from whence it 
is derived, rt will be found, in many respects, 
truly appropriate. The word bishop is of 
Saxon origin, and signifies the same as the 
Greek Ertttfxortoj, namely, an overseer, or 
chief minister, one who has the inspection or 
direction of any thing. Nehemiah speaks of 
the bishops, or overseers of the Levites at Je- 
rusalem, Neh. xi. 22. Uzzi had the inspec- 
tion of the other Levites. The Hebrew -tp* 
peked, rendered in Latin episcopus, has the 
same signification. The Athenians gave this 
name to those who presided in their courts 
of justice; and the digest gives it to those ma- 
gistrates who had the inspection of the bread 
market, and other things of that nature.* — 
From this accurate definition of the term, 
we perceive that it might with strict propriety 
be appropriated to any officer in the Church; 
and it likewise furnishes a reason why elders 
were indifferently called elders and over- 
* See Calmet. 



48 

seers. They were called elders, because, 
generally speaking, they were chosen from 
among those deacons whose long experience 
and age in the work of the ministry had 
matured them for their office ; and they 
were called overseers, because to them was 
committed the particular oversight of the 
Church. Any minister, therefore, whe- 
ther deacon, elder, or evangelist, may be de- 
nominated an overseer. 

It is not then the name simply after which 
we inquire; but it is the comparative rank 
they held, and the duties, which, by virtue 
of their office, they were called to perform. 
It is beneath the dignity of any subject, much 
more a religious controversy, to indulge in 
mere verbal disputations. Leaving it to 
those who delight more in a war of words 
than in the pursuit of truth, to attach what 
name they please to us, we shall be fully 
satisfied with our ministerial orders, if we 
can find them substantially existing in the 
primitive Church. And that this Church 
had its itinerating apostles, and superintend- 
ing evangelists as their aids and successors, 
we have already seen; and that we have a 
grade of ministers in our Church which very 



49 



much resembles them, is a fact which needs 
but little proof to make it evident The Me- 
thodist bishops are itinerating ministers, who 
travel through the whole work, and are 
therefore able to take an impartial and re- 
sponsible oversight of the whole church, 
ministers and people. The primitive evan- 
gelists ordained elders in every city, — our 
itinerating bishops do the same. In the or- 
dination of elders, the primitive evangelists 
had elders associated with them. Our bish- 
ops have them also. In this respect, then, 
we think we have followed the primitive 
model in the establishment of our ministerial 
orders, and in the duties attached to their 
office. 

It is probable that one reason why this or- 
der of ministers has been so much overlook- 
ed by ecclesiastical writers, is, that while the 
persons spoken of in the apostolical epistles 
have been attentively considered, the per- 
sons writing, and the persons written to, 
have not been recognized in their proper 
character. By consulting, in particular, the 
Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus, 



5# 



we shall find him speaking of deacons and el- 
ders, two distinct orders in the ministry; 
the person speaking is an apostle, exercising 
the high functions of his office over the 
whole church; and the persons spoken to, 
are evangelists, whom the apostle was train- 
ing up, that they might be qualified to succeed 
him in his office, as well as to perform that 
during his lifetime, which he was not able, 
in consequence of an increase of his labours, 
to do himself. Looking at the subject in this 
point of light, we see rising up to our view 
an efficient itinerating officer, who takes a re- 
sponsible oversight of the whole church. 

Another very probable reason is, that the 
itinerating life had been so loug laid aside in 
the church, that it seems to have been al- 
most forgotten by those local men who have 
undertaken to investigate this subject. — 
Hence, when they have read of Timothy, 
Titus, and others that were called bishops, 
viewing them through the medium of their 
own church establishment, they have consi- 
dered them as resembling diocesan bishops. 
Others, not friendly to episcopacy, hare 



51 

considered those eminent men, who devoted 
their whole time to spreading the gospel, as 
resembling stationary pastors over single con- 
gregations. We presume both of these views 
are erroneous. They were neither dioce- 
san bishops, nor stationed pastors, but were 
itinerating evangelists; or, if you like the 
term better, superintending bishops, flying 
at the command of him who " makes his 
ministers a flame of fire," " through the hea- 
vens, having the everlasting gospel to preach 
to those that dwell on the earth." 

On this part of our subject it seems expe- 
dient to stop, to obviate an objection. It may 
be objected, that if the power of ordination 
is in the body of elders, why transfer that 
authority to others ? Why have a superior 
order of ministers at all ? To this it is an- 
swered, that, although the body of elders 
possess the right of ordaining others, and of 
prescribing all rules for the regulation of the 
Church, yet they may, if they find it conve- 
nient, delegate any part of that power to 
others. It would be, for instance, next to 
impossible for the elders, in their collective 
capacity, to carry their own rules into exe- 



52 

cution. Each one, in his separate capacity, 
in his individual pastoral charge, might in- 
deed execute those rules, which were, from 
time to time, ordained by the conference of 
elders. And although a competent number 
of them might confer orders upon others, 
by prayer and imposition ©f their hands, yet 
this might be found, on many accounts, very 
inconvenient ; and therefore they might 
have delegated that authority to others. 

That this was the case appears extremely 
probable. We find, in the first place, that 
St. Paul and Barnabas were consecrated for 
their special work by a body of elders; and 
Timothy received the gift by the laying on of 
the hands of the presbytery ; and yet we find 
Timothy and Titus were afterwards com- 
manded by St. Paul to ordain elders in every 
city. Not that we are to conclude they did 
this without the suffrage and assistance of 
the elders. They doubtless acted con- 
jointly. 



33 



CHAPTER IV. 

JYo particular Form of Church Government 
prescribed in Scripture, 

Although it appears more than probable 
that an episcopal government did exist in the 
primitive Church, yet it is somewhat difficult 
to determine with accuracy respecting the 
particular modification of that government ; 
for though we admit that episcopacy did ex- 
ist in the primitive Church, it does not ne- 
cessarily follow that it can exist only under 
one form precisely. There are many forms 
of episcopacy in our day. The Church of 
England differs, in many particulars, from 
the Protestant Episcopal Church in these 
United States; and the Moravians, who also 
are episcopal, differ from them both. To 
define what powers belonged to the superior 
minister, and mark the lines of his powers in 
distinction from the powers of each inferior 
minister, and to show with exactitude the pe- 
culiar jurisdiction of each, as it respects 
their relation to each other, would, it is pre- 
sumed, be not a little difficult. 



54 

Neither does it appear that any particular 
form of Church government, in distinction 
from all others, is essential to constitute a 
Christian Church; for if it were, the Holy 
Ghost would doubtless have left a delinea- 
tion of that form in the sacred scriptures. 
Church government itself is, indeed, essen- 
tial to the existence of a Church; but the 
particular mode of that government seems to 
be left to the wisdom and prudence of those 
men appointed to govern; and therefore the 
Church is at liberty to vary that mode ac- 
cording to circumstances; always minding, 
however, to keep as near as possible to apos- 
tolic order and usage. 

Neither are we singular in this opinion. 
With whatever vehemence some have con- 
tended for their own peculiar mode of go- 
vernment, there have not been wanting men, 
eminent for their abilities, and standing high 
in their respective communities, who have 
candidly acknowledged, that no particular 
mode, in distinction from all others, was 
essentially necessary to constitute a Chris- 
tian Church. Among others we reckon 
Stillingfleet. " I coafess," says he, " the 



55 

discipline of the primitive Church hath beea 
very much misrepresented to us, by men 
looking upon it through the glass of modern 
practices and customs among us. Whether 
any shall succeed the Apostles in superiority 
of power over presbyters, or all remain go- 
verning the Church in an equality of power, 
is no where determined by the will of Christ 
in scripture; and so not necessarily binding 
on Christians." He adds, " That Christ did 
never intend to institute any one form of go- 
vernment in his Church; — no one form is 
prescribed in scripture; — all the standing 
laws respecting Church government, are 
equally applicable to several forms. All the 
laws in scripture respecting Church govern- 
ment, may be referred to three heads. 1. 
The qualification of the persons for the office 
of government. 2. Such as require a right 
management of their office. 3. Such as lay 
down rules for the management of their of- 
fice. Now, all these are equally applicable 
to either of the forms; and are equally re- 
quired as necessary in a bishop, whether ta- 
ken for one of a superior order above pres- 



5& 

byters* or else only for a single presby* 
ter»" 

The same writer observes, " God, by his 
own laws, hath given men power and liberty 
to determine the particular form of Church 
government among them. Hence it may ap- 
pear, that though one form of government be 
agreeable to the word, it doth not follow that 
another is not; or because one is lawful, 
another is unlawful : one form may be more 
agreeable to some parts, places, people, and 
times, than others are. In which case, that 
form of government is to be settled which is 
most agreeable to the present state of a place, 
and is most advantageously conducive to pro- 
moting the ends of Church government in that 
place or nation." He, moreover, asserts, 
that " any particular form of government, 
agreed upon by the governors of the church, 
consonant to the general rules of scripture, 
to be of divine right. The reason of church 
government is immutable in all times and 
places, which is the preservation of the peace 
and unity of the Church; but the particular 
form of that government, the laws of God 



57 

have left to the prudence of particular 
churches to determine. So the same reason 
of church government may call for an equality 
in the persons acting as governors of the 
church in one place, which may call for su- 
periority and subordination in another." 

Such was the judgment of this eminent pre- 
late of the Church of England in respect to 
church government. While he admitted 
government itself to be of divine origin, and 
of vital importance to the existence and pros- 
perity of the Church, yet, with that candour 
and frankness of spirit which is characteris- 
tic of a great mind, he acknowledges that a 
diversity of forms may well comport with the 
designs of Christ, and the declarations of 
scripture on this subject. And who that ma- 
turely considers this subject, can determine 
otherwise ? If any one particular form of 
church government were essential to consti- 
tute a Christian Church, is it not reasonable 
to suppose we should find that form most ac- 
curately described in the sacred scriptures ? 
For certainly the Holy Ghost would not have 
left us in the dark with regard to a subject s© 



58 

intimately connected with the salvation of 
men. 

On a subject where we have not the uner- 
ring light of revelation, we must form our 
judgments from existing facts according to 
the best lights we have. But we have al- 
ready seen that the scriptures, as well as the 
practice of the primitive Church, authorize 
the belief that there were three orders in 
the Christian Church, namely, deacons, pres- 
byters or bishops, and evangelists or apos- 
tles. The deacons and presbyters were sta- 
tionary, the presbyter having charge of a 
single congregation, to whom he administer- 
ed the word and ordinances of God; the dea- 
cons at first, and afterwards, when hb work 
enlarged, more or less of presbyters, acting 
under his direction as his assistants; and the 
evangelists, taking the general oversight of 
the whole, were itinerating ministers, moving 
from place to place, as the circumstances of 
the church should render expedient and ne- 
cessary. 

It moreover appears highly probable, that 
whatever authority these itinerating evange- 



59 

lists possessed, they derived it by delegation 
from the body of presbyters; to whom be- 
longed the original right of modifying the go- 
vernment of the Church, as they saw it ex- 
pedient for the benefit of the community, 
provided they did not transcend the bounds 
of their authority by transgressing a known 
precept of Christ. This seems necessarily to 
follow from the proposition already estab- 
lished, namely, that the original right of con- 
secrating ministers, and of governing the 
church, belonged to the t presbytery. If so, as 
it unquestionably did, then all other officers, 
whether superior or inferior, must have de- 
rived their authority, as well as the manner 
in which they were to use that authority, 
from the body of elders. 

In every community, as well religious as 
civil, there must be some centre of power, 
some supreme authority, from whence all 
others must emanate. And this supreme au- 
thority may either retain its original right 
within itself, or may, if necessary or expe- 
dient, impart a portion of it to others, who 
must be responsible for its use to the author 
rity from which it was derived. It is not al~ 



60 



ways necessary, nay, it is often totally im- 
practicable, for that body to which the power 
©f right belongs to govern, to exercise that 
power. Thus, it is the inherent right of 
every man to govern himself. But whqre a 
number of individuals form a community, it 
being impracticable for each individual to 
exercise his own inherent right of governing 
himself, he resigns up a part of that right, in 
order to secure the good of the whole com- 
munity. When this association is formed by 
mutual consent, and for mutual good, the right 
of government is transferred from each indi- 
vidual to the whole body. But this communi- 
ty itself will find it necessary to concentrate 
its authority in the hands of one or more 
persons, in order to make and execute its 
laws Hence arises the necessity of repre- 
sentative government, by which the autho- 
rity of the whole community is concentrated in 
the hands of a few. But even these few, al- 
though they may deliberate together, and en- 
act laws for the regulation of the communi- 
ty, they cannot execute them in their collec- 
tive capacity. Hence arises the necessity 
of a. division of power into the hands of in- 



61 



dividuals, who now possess, not only their 
original right of governing themselves, but 
also, by delegation, the right of governing 
others; and that too, in those important 
points which involve the dearest interests 
of mankind : I allude to governors, judges, 
&c. This kind of apportionment of power 
originates of necessity from the present state 
of human society. Society cannot exist with- 
out it. Every man must resign some portion 
of his individual rights, in order to secure 
those which he retains, — otherwise he must 
be deprived of the whole. 

But these observations apply principally 
to the regulation of civil society. Here all 
power is derived primarily from the people, 
who were created by God; and they have 
the right of modifying, and of apportioning 
that power, as the state of society, and the 
exigencies of time and place, may require. 
And all good and wise legislators will be ac- 
tuated with a view to the good of the whole 
community. But the government of the 
church of God is somewhat different. God 
calls men, whom He pleases, to be the mini- 
sters of his word. And as an individual man 



62 

possesses the right of governing himself in 
all secular matters, until the state of society 
shall dictate the necessity, from an intercom- 
munity of interests, of surrendering a part 
of that right into the hands of others, so 
those ministers whom God selects to be the 
shepherds of His flock, and the guardians of 
His people, possess the right of governing 
themselves in religious matters, and all 
those committed to their care. St. Paul 
says to the elders of the church of Ephesus, 
" over the which the Holy Ghost hath made 
you overseers." Ministers primarily derive 
their authority to preach, and to exercise 
their ministerial functions, among which is 
the oversight of the church, from Jesus Christ 
himself. This is the supreme fountain of 
their authority; and of this authority no man, 
nor number of men, have a right to dispossess 
them: that is, while they maintain the cha- 
racter of true ministers of Jesus Christ. But 
if they cease to be what they were when 
called of God to be ministers, either by ne- 
glecting their duty, abusing their authority, 
or by apostacy from the faith, they may and 
ought to be deprived of their authority. Mi- 



63 

nisters receive authority from Jesus Christ 
for the " salvation, and not for the destruc- 
tion" of souls. 

This authority we have seen is deposited 
by the Holy Ghost in the hands of the el- 
ders of the Church. 

They are, indeed, commanded not to " lord 
it over God's heritage, but be ensamples to 
the flock." Though they possess the right 
of governing, they have no right to tyrannize, 
or to usurp a despotic power over the con- 
sciences, or the property of the people. 
Their authority has its limits, over which 
they have no right to leap. But while they 
keep within the limits prescribed them by 
Jesus Christ, they have the right of modify- 
ing that power committed to them, and of ap- 
portioning it among the several officers of the 
Church, as time, place, and circumstance 
may require. They are no more under the 
necessity of retaining it all in their own 
hands, because originally confided to their 
trust, than the people were to retain their 
civil power in their own hands, because it 
originally belonged to them. Nay, in many 



64 

eases it would be equally inconvenient, and 
equally dangerous. 

This point being established, we will now 
inquire a little more particularly into the or- 
der of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
see whether, in this branch of it, it is in con- 
formity to the scriptural views we have ta- 
ken of the primitive Church. We have al- 
ready observed, that the first officers of this 
Church were consecrated by a body of pres- 
byters of the Church of England. And in do- 
ing this, Mr. Wesley, and those presbyters 
associated with him, did nothing more than 
those elders did who ordained St. Paul. This 
Apostle was ordained, and then they, those 
who ordained him, sent him and Barnabas 
away to preach the gospel, and to establish 
ehurches in foreign lands, among the Gen- 
tiles. Mr. Wesley, and the other presby- 
ters, ordained Dr Coke, and sent him away to 
preach the gospel, and to establish churches 
in foreign lands, namely, among the Ameri- 
cans. In this act, no doubt but Mr. Wesley 
had his eye upon the practice of the primitive 
Church, and, as he has informed us, particu 
larly upon the Church of Alexandria, whose 



65 

presbyters consecrated a superior minister, 
Conceiving, however, that the episcopal mode 
of church government, if modified according 
to the apostolic form, with an itinerating su- 
perintendency at its head, was best adapted to 
the state of society, and best calculated to 
spread the gospel extensively, Mr. Wesley 
adopted this mode in preference to any other. 
Now, even allowing that there is no expresg 
warrant from scripture for this mode ofchurch 
government, he was perfectly justifiable in 
adopting it, according to the views which 
Stillingfleet and others have taken of the 
subject, namely, that the Church is at liberty 
to adopt that mode, if they do not transgress 
an express precept of Christ, which may be 
considered best adapted to secure the ends of 
Church government. If no particular form 
is prescribed in the Holy Scriptures, and an 
itinerating superintendency is not condemn- 
ed there, then no one has a right to condemn 
Mr. Wesley for adopting the one he did. — 
But, from the view we have already taken 
of the ministry in the apostles' days, we have 
satisfactory assurance that an itinerating so- 
6* 



G6 

perintendency did then exist; and that this 
superintendency extended its influence over 
the whole body of the church, presbyters, 
deacons, and people; and that the features 
of Church government in that day were, in no 
essential points, dissimilar to the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

We have our itinerating superintendency, 
which derives its authority from, and is re- 
sponsible to, the body of elders, who claim tha 
right of regulating the affairs of the church. 
It is well known to all who are acquainted 
with our economy, that the whole power of 
the church is vested in a general conference, 
which is composed of a select body of elders 
chosen by each annual conference, who have 
the sole right of making rules for the go- 
vernment of the church; of regulating every 
thing, whether relating to the general super- 
intendency of itinerating bishops, or to the 
more particular duties of elders and deacons. 
And to this body the whole ministry, how- 
ever diversified in its operations, is respon- 
sible. 

Now let the Methodist Episcopal Church 
be candidly viewed through this medium, 



67 

and then see whether there is any just cause 
for calling in question the legality of its 
ministry, or the validity of its ordinances. 
Called of God, as this ministry evidently has 
been, like the primitive evangelists and 
preachers, they went out in his name, and 
were made successful in raising those who 
were no people to become the people of God. 
And after having thus demonstrated the di j 
vinity of their mission, in the awakening and 
conversion of souls, have they not a right to 
govern those who have been thus given to 
them as the fruits of their ministry ? Let 
those who call this right in question, if they 
are able, produce a better. 

CHAPTER V. 

Of the Declension of the Itinerating Ministry. 

Those who have examined the annals of 
the Church are apprized of the lamentable 
departure from primitive purity, and from 
apostolic labours and sufferings, which were 
witnessed soon after the decease of the apos- 
tles. Indeed, the apostle Paul himself 
complained, that w all seek their own, not 
fhe things of Jesus Christ." No sooner did 



68 

the bodies of these venerable men of God 
sleep in the grave, than their followers began 
to abate somewhat of their labours in the 
service of God. In process of time their im- 
mediate successors in the ministry, the itine- 
rating evangelists, also departed to their 
God, and left the waring Church in other, 
and less energetic hands : and though among 
these there were many burning and shining 
lights, who strove to fan the flame of aposto- 
lic zeal, yet in many it burnt but dimly; 
until finally that peculiar blaze which shone 
in the life and preaching of those lumin- 
ous and moving stars of the church, who 
had now disappeared from this lower hemis- 
phere, became entirely extinguished. In- 
stead of that energetic superintendency which 
produced such astonishing and blessed effects, 
by the preaching of the itinerating apostles 
and evangelists, we behold a ministry gradu- 
ally sinking into locality, and whose feeble 
efforts could no longer withstand that spirit 
of lukewarmness and worldly-mindedness 
which now began to pervade the church. 
If we study the nature of man, it will not 



69 

be difficult to ascertain the reason why those 
itinerating evangelists did not continue to ex- 
ist in their original character. As the church- 
es multiplied, and wealth increased, they 
might have supposed, being aided in the con- 
clusion by that predisposition to ease and 
self-indulgence so natural to men, that those 
privations connected with an itinerating life, 
were no longer necessary for the good of the 
church. Hence they gradually restricted 
their ministerial labours, becoming more and 
more local, until finally the intinerating su- 
perintendency was exchanged for that located 
episcopacy which was more congenial to the 
natural propensities of human nature. From 
these circumstances, which, to human ap- 
pearance, seemed innocently enough to grow 
out of the state of society, the name evange- 
list expired with the character it originally 
represented; and the term bishop or over- 
seer, which was formerly appropriated to 
the pastor of a single congregation, was now 
given to those who took the rank, without do- 
ing the labour in the church, formerly held 
by the apostles and itinerating evangelists 



7© 



. 



From this inauspicious period of the sad de- 
clension of ministerial sufferings and labour, 
commenced that kind of episcopal jurisdic- 
tion, which extended to those places which 
were never personally visited by an episcopal 
character; and it gradually swelled until it 
overflowed the bounds which the Holy Scrip- 
tures had set to it. It is hardly necessary to 
observe, that from these small beginnings, and 
this gradual augmentation of episcopal pow- 
ers, grew that frightful authority which waa 
finally concentrated in the pontiff of the Ro- 
mish Church. So dangerous it is to depart, 
in the smallest degree, from the simplicity 
and purity of primitive Christianity. When 
once the mind of man, ever fruitful in ex- 
periments, especially when they flatter his * 
pride and ambition, breaks loose from the 
restraints of scripture authority, one cannot 
tell where it will stop. 

Another cause operated to produce the 
same result. Those stationary presbyters, 
as the people of their charge multiplied, be- 
gan to enlarge the boundaries of their pasto- 
ral jurisdiction; and though, at first, they 
were principally confined to cities, as their 



71 

Work enlarged, they afterwards, and very 
properly too, extended their ministerial la- 
bours to country villages and towns; and by 
thus increasing the number of their converts, 
they increased the duties of their office; and 
from this continual increase of converts, new 
congregations were formed, which required 
the labour of additional ministers. These 
additional ministers, taking the oversight of 
congregations sometimes at a considerable 
distance from the larger towns and cities, 
were under the necessity of forming distinct 
churches, and of erecting separate altars in- 
dependent of their neighbours; but the re- 
verence which these newly formed congre- 
gations would naturally feel for those venera- 
ble men who had lived, if not with, yet near 
the apostles, and who had been the primary 
instruments of collecting them together, 
would lead them to pay great deference to 
their judgment, and induce them to consult 
them on all matters of importance; " and 
perhaps some desire of influence and domi- 
nion, from which the hearts of good men might 
not be always free,"* contributed to lay a 
* See Buck's Theological Dictionary, art. Episcopacy* 



72 

foundation for an unscriptural subordination 
among the ministers and people of these new 
churches, until it arose to that superiority of 
dominion which marked the rise of the man 
of sin. All this seems natural. And it can- 
not be denied but that this desire of having 
a lordly influence over others, manifested it- 
self at an early period of the Christian 
Church; and indeed it was one of the many 
evils complained of, even in the days of the 
apostles. This principle exists more or less 
in most men, and especially in those who 
are not entirely sanctified by grace. 






CHAPTER VI. 

The Manner in which the Methodist Episcopal 
Church was constituted. 

Having made these observations on the 
declension of the ministerial character, from 
that vigorous exertion in the cause of Christ, 
which so eminently distinguished the primi- 
tive evangelists, I proceed to remark, that 
this order of ministers did not arise again in 
their original character, until that bright lu- 
minary of the church arose, the Rev. John 



73 

Wesley.* With him revived the ancient 
spirit of the primitive evangelists; and suc- 
cess, unequalled in modern times, attended his 
astonishing labours. The Christian world 
was aroused from that spiritual lethargy and 
that supineness in the things of God, under 
which it had long slumbered. Like the first 
ministers of the Lord Jesus, this flaming 
herald of salvation, went every where, 
preaching the word; and wherever he went 
the multitudes who waited on his ministry were 
excited to attend to the things which make 



* It is by no means intended by this remark to say 
that, from (he time of the declension alluded to, there 
were no true ministers of Jesus Christ, until John Wes- 
ley arose. Doubtless there always have been more or 
less in the church. Those who arose in the memora- 
ble era f f the reformation are well known. The glo- 
rious effects of the labours of Wickiiffe in England, of 
Luther in Germany* of Huss and Jerome in Holland, 
of Knox in Scotland, and that cluster of excellent 
men who withstood the usurpations of the Romish 
Church in England, when that kingdom emancipated 
itself from the tyranny of that antichristian Church - will 
never be forgoten. But though these bold champions 
k)r truth, wrought faithfully in its sacred cause, none 
of them were regular itinerants themse!ves,nor did they 
establish a travelling ministry. This is what is meant 
when it is said the spirit of the ancient evangelists re- 
vived with the Rev. J. Wesley. Neither would we 
overlook that bright luminary of the church, George 
Whitefield, whose itinerating labours were rendered a 
blessing to thousands of precious souls. 
7 



74 

for their everlasting peace. And finding, af- 
ter making diligent search into the records 
of the church, that he was moving in the cir- 
cle formerly drawn by the apostles and evan- 
gelists; also witnessing the beneficial results 
to the souls of men by this method of preach- 
ing the gospel; when the time drew nigh for 
him to take his departure to his God, he 
adopted measures to secure a succession of 
itinerating evangelists over the church which 
God had made him instrumental in planting. 
And in this church, we recognize to the pre- 
sent day, the practice of those ancient evan-» 
gelists exemplified in the life and labour of 
the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. May the great Head of the church 
strengthen them for their work. 

But the grand objection urged against the 
conduct of Mr. Wesley, in reference to the 
subject more immediately under considera- 
tion, is, " That he introduced into the minis- 
try lay preachers, as they have not been un 
aptly called; thereby sanctioning a practice 
not approved by the church of which he al- 
ways acknowledged himself a member; and 
finally proceeded to lay his hands on some 
of them, for which work he was not duly au- 



75 

ihorized. ,, To the latter part of this objec- 
tion we have already answered. To the 
former member of it, we might answer sim- 
ply by referring to the first establishment 
of the Christian Church. Did our Lord go 
to the Jewish Sanhedrim, or to the order of 
priests or Levites, to choose men for his 
apostles and preachers ? This question must 
be answered in the negative. Well, did the 
apostles, after the ascension of Jesus Christ, 
confine themselves to the order of the priest- 
hood for men who were to assist and succeed 
them in the ministry ? Certainly not. The fact 
is, they gave the right hand of fellowship to 
those men who had been converted to God 
by the ministry of truth, and who were 
presented to them in the course of God's 
providence, as having been designated by 
the Holy Ghost, as ministers of the word. — 
So far were they from selecting men who 
had been previously educated for that pur- 
pose, that they only accepted of such as were 
called of Jesus Christ, and had given evi- 
dence of their call by their works of faith 
aad labours of love, as well as by an im- 



76 

provement of their gifts and ministerial use- 
fulness. These were the men that stept into 
the work of God in the golden days of the 
church. The great curse of the church- 
has ever been the introducing of worldly- 
minded men into the ministry, who had no 
other qualification for their office than hu- 
man erudition, and the appointment of men* 
Had the ministry been sacredly guarded, as 
it ought to have been, from the intrusion 
of unhallowed men into the sacred office, 
Methodism, as such, would never have been 
known. Reformations, indeed, had, at dif- 
ferent periods, been effected; but declensions 
had so soon succeeded them, that pure reli* 
gion was rarely to be found either among the 
clergy or laity, at the time Mr. Wesley com- 
menced his successful ministerial career. 

In this respect also, there is a remarka- 
ble coincidence between Methodism and 
primitive Christianity. The men who were 
employed as his assistants in carrying on the 
glorious work, were not sought after by Mr. 
Wesley, but they were presented to him as 
the fruits of his ministry; as men in whom 



n 

jwelt the love of God, and who were called 
by the Holy Ghost to the help of the Lord 
against the mighty. They proved them- 
selves to be men eminent for piety and for 
ministerial gifts. As the great work of re- 
formation increased, these men, without any 
previous design of Mr. Wesley, came for- 
ward as distinguished instruments in the 
hands of God, as assistants to him in carry- 
ing forward the great work in which he was 
engaged. Like unto the primitive preach- 
ers, though they proved themselves able 
ministers of the New Testament, they had 
not been selected by the appointment of men 
to the work of the ministry; and Mr. Wesley 
submitted, with great reluctance, to this inno- 
vation upon the established order of the 
church of which he was a member; nothing 
indeed, but an irresistible conviction that it 
was according to the order of God, induced 
him to submit to be thus vile in the sight; of 
men. 

Some of these missionaries of the cross, 
moved by the Holy Ghost, came to this 
country. Proclaiming unto the inhabitants 



78 

©f America, the unsearchable riches of Christ, 
both in the cities and country villages, they 
rejoiced to witness the manifestations of 
God's power in the awakening and conversion 
of souls. The weeping multitudes who at- 
tended their ministrations, evinced their con- 
victions that these men were the servants of 
the most high God, who shewed unto them the 
way of salvation. From among those who 
gave evidence of their conversion to God, 
societies were formed. And out of these 
were men raised up, who testified by word 
an 1 deed, that they were called of God to in- 
struct their brethren, and to call sinners to 
repentance. But neither were these men 
called from among the regular Clergy, and 
therefore had never been set apart by prayer 
and imposition of hands to the office of mi- 
nisters : but they acted, nevertheless, under 
a conviction that consecration, in some form, 
was necessary to qualify them to administer 
the orJinances of baptism and the holy eu- 
charist. These sacraments, therefore, though 
they believed them of divine appointment, 
they did not feel themselves duly authorized 
to administer ; although the people who 



79 

had been converted under their ministry, 
were very desirous of receiving them from 
their hands. Mr. Francis Asbury, who was 
among the first who visited this country in 
the character of a Methodist missionary, and 
who had laboured with indefatigable zeal, 
and great success, as an intinerating evange- 
list, was frequently solicited to devise some 
means whereby the people could be furnish- 
ed with the ordinances of Gods house. But 
having never been consecrated himself, and 
scrupulously adhering to the doctrine taught 
in the Holy Scriptures, that an unconse- 
crated minister, however well he might be 
otherwise qualified to preach, had no authori- 
ty, either to ordain others, or to administer the 
ordinances himself, utterly refused to heark- 
en to the solicitations of the people, until he 
should receive the proper authority in a re- 
gular way. 

In this state of affairs, he wrote to Mr. 
Wesley, laying before that apostolic man, the 
condition in which the societies were, in 
reference to this subject, in this country. 
Mr. Wesley heard their complaints with all 



BO 

the tender solicitude of a spiritual father.— 
For some time he hesitated. His mind hung 
in suspense between inclination and duty. 
His inclination led him to refuse, for the sake 
of peace ; for he did not wish to offend 
against the order of the church to which he 
belonged. A sense of duty urged him to 
comply for the sake of immortal souls, thou- 
sands of whom were now looking to him as 
the grand instrument of their salvation, for 
his counsel and aid in this affair. We are 
not, however, to suppose that his hesitancy 
in proceeding to organize a separate church 
on this side the Atlantic, arose from any scru- 
ples he entertained respecting the lawfulness 
or expediency of the undertaking upon evan- 
gelical principles; but merely because the 
practice was not sanctioned by the canons 
of the English Church, of which he always 
acknowledged himself a member. Mr. Wes- 
ley was well acquainted with ecclesiastical 
history. He had impartially studied the pri- 
mitive Church; and was also fully acquainted 
with the various church establishments, 
among the Protestants; and from a thorough 



81 

knowledge, ascertained by a diligent searck 
into the records of the Church, of all that be- 
longed to the rites and canons of the Christian 
Church, he had been long convinced, that the 
original right of conferring orders upon minis- 
ters, otherwise accredited of God, belonged to 
the body of elders. In his Journal, January 20, 
1746, he says, " I read over Lord King's 
account of the primitive Church. In spite of 
the vehement prejudice of my education, I 
was ready to believe, that this was a fair 
and impartial draught. But if so, it would 
follow, that bishops and presbyters are es- 
sentially of one order; and that originally 
every Christian congregation was a church 
independent on ail others." Vol. ii. of his 
works, page 332. In Vol. xvi. page 26. he 
observes, " As to my own judgment, I still be- 
lieve the episcopal form of church govern- 
ment to be scriptural and apostolical. I 
mean, well agreeing with the practice and 
writings of the apostles. But that it is pre- 
scribed in scripture, I do not believe. Thit 
opinion, which I once zealously espoused, I 
have been heartily ashamed of ever since I 
read Bishop Stillingfleet's Irenicon. I think 
he has unanswerably proved, that neither 



Christ nor his apostles prescribe any particu- 
lar form of Church government, and that the 
plea of divine right for diocesan episcopacy, 
was never heard of in the primitive Church. 1 ' 
In page 35 of the same volume, he makes the 
following remarks in reference to the same 
subject. " Concerning Diocesan Episcopacy, 
there are several questions I should be glad 
to have answered. 1. Where is it prescribed 
in scripture ? 2. How does it appear that 
the apostles settled it in all the churches they 
planted ? 3. How does it appear that they 
so settled it in any, as to make it of perpe- 
tual obligation ? It is allowed Christ and his 
apostles did put the churches under some 
form of government or other. But, 1. Did 
they put all churches under the same precise 
form ? If they did, 2. Can we prove this to 
have been the very same which now re- 
mains in the Church of England V 9 

From these quotations it will appear evi- 
dent, that whether Mr. Wesley was right or 
wrong in his opinion, he acted from the 
clearest dictates of his judgment; and a judg- 
ment too, made up from an accurate investi- 
gation of this subject. While he believed an 



as 

episcopal form of Church government agreed 
well with the writings and practice of the 
apostles, he did not believe that any particular 
form, and especially the one recognized by 
the Church of England, was any where pre- 
scribed in the sacred scriptures. In this 
frank confession, which was made long before 
he laid hands upon Dr. Coke, he certainly 
demonstrated an impartial regard to truth; 
for it was in direct contradiction to the views 
he had received by education, and which 
led him at one time to suppose that it would 
be almost a sin to save souls out of the es- 
tablished church. In this instance Mr. Wes- 
ley evinced a trait of character, by which 
he was distinguished in all his proceedings, 
namely, a disposition to yield to the domi- 
nion of truth, however contrary it might be to 
his preconceived opinions. 

These, then, were his views, and this was 
the state of his mind, when solicited to inter- 
pose in behalf of the Methodist Societies in 
America. And in this suspense he remain- 
ed until the conclusion of the American war. 
On the acknowledgment of the independ- 
ence of these United States, they became 



separated from Great Britain, not only in a 
civil, but also in an ecclesiastical point of 
view. This event, and the known solicita- 
tions of the people on this vast continent, 
which arose from their being destitute of the 
ordinances of the Church, tended to remove 
those scruples of Mr. Wesley, which, as we 
have already seen, arose merely from pru- 
dential considerations. He therefore felt 
himself at perfect liberty to follow the dic- 
tates of his judgment, and to furnish, accord- 
ing to the primitive model, these wandering 
sheep in the wilderness, with accredited 
pastors, who should administer to them the 
bread of life. Accordingly he drew up a 
short plan of Church government, and being 
assisted by other presbyters of the Church 
of England, he solemnly set apart Thomas 
Coke, L.L. D. as superintendent of the Me- 
thodist Societies in America; and furnished 
him with letters of ordination, and with in- 
structions to consecrate such other preach- 
ers in the United States, as should be ap- 
proved of by the conference of preachers. 

As this is an important era of the Me- 
thodist Church, I think it expedient to lay 



85 

the whole subject before the reader. Of 
the letters of ordination, " the following," 
says Mr. Drew, in his life of Dr. Coke, page 
65, " is a faithful copy, carefully transcribed 
from the original in Mr. Wesley's own hand- 
writing, preserved among the papers of the 
late Dr. Coke :— 

" To all to whom these presents shall come, 
John Wesley, late Fellow of Lincoln College, 
in Oxford, Presbyter of the Church of Eng- 
land, sendeth greeting : 

" Whereas many of the people in the south- 
ern provinces of North America, who desire 
to continue under my care, and still adhere 
to the doctrine and discipline of the Church 
of England, are greatly distressed for want 
of ministers to administer the sacraments of 
baptism and the Lord's Supper, according to 
the usage of the same church, and whereas 
there does not appear to be any other way of 
supplying them with ministers; 

Know all men, that I, John Wesley, think 

myself to be providentially called at this time 

to set apart some persons for the work of the 

ministry in America. And, therefore, under 
8 



86 

the protection of Almighty God, and with & 
single eye to his glory, I have this day set 
apart as a superintendent, by the imposition 
of my hands, and prayer, (being assisted by 
other ordained ministers,) Thomas Coke, Dr. 
of Civil Law, a Presbj r ter of the Church of 
England, and a man whom I judge to be well 
qualified for that great work. And I do here- 
by recommend him to all whom it may con- 
cern, as aiit person to preside over the flock of 
Christ. Jn testimony whereof, I have here- 
unto set my hand and seal, this second day 
of September, in the year of our Lord one 
thousand seven hundred and eighty-four. 
"JOHN WESLEY." 

Mr. Wesley also wrote the following let- 
ter, which Dr. Coke was directed to print 
and circulate among the societies on his ar- 
rival in America : — 

" Bristol, September 10, 1784. 

" To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our 
brethren in North America. 

" By a very uncommon train of provi- 
dences,, many of the provinces in North 
America are totally disjoined from the mother 



87 

country, and erected into independent states. 
The English government has no authority 
over them, either civil or ecclesiastical, any 
more than over the States of Holland. A civil 
authority is exercised over them, partly by 
the Congress, partly by the provincial assem- 
blies. But no one either exercises or claims 
any ecclesiastical authority at all. In this pe- 
culiar situation some thousands of the inhabit- 
ants of these States desire my advice and 
in compliance with their desire I have 
drawn up a little sketch. Lord King's ac- 
count of the primitive Church convinced me 
many years ago, that bishops and presby- 
ters are the same order, and consequently 
have the same right to ordain. For many 
years I have been importuned, from time 
to time, to exercise this right, by ordaining 
part of our travelling preachers. But I have 
still refused, not only for peace sake, but 
because 1 was determined, as little as possi- 
ble, to violate the established order of the 
national church to which I belonged. 

" But the case is widely different between 
England and North America. Here there 
are bishops who have a legal jurisdiction. — 



88 

In America there are none, neither any pa- 
rish minister. So that for some hundreds of 
miles together, there is none either to bap- 
tize, or to administer the Lord's Supper. 
Here, therefore, my scruples are at an end; 
and I conceive myself at full liberty, as I vio- 
late no order, and invade no man's right, by 
appointing and sending labourers into the 
harvest. 

ik I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke 
and Mr. Francis Asbury to be joint superin- 
tendents over our brethren in North Ameri- 
ca; as also Richard Whatcoat and Thomas 
Vasey, to act as elders among them, by bap- 
tizing and administering the Lord's Suppef. 
And I have prepared a liturgy, little differing 
from that of the Church of England, (I think 
the best constituted national church in the 
world,) which I advise all the travelling 
preachers to use on the Lord's day in all the 
congregations, reading the Litany only on 
Wednesdays and Fridays, and praying extem- 
pore on all other days. I also advise the 
elders to administer the supper of the Lord, 
on every Lords day. 



ft9 



u If any one will point out a more rational 
and scriptural way of feeding and guiding 
these poor sheep in the wilderness, I will 
gladly embrace it. At present I cannot see 
any better method than that I have taken. 

6k It has indeed been proposed to desire the 
English bishops to ordain part of our preach- 
ers for America. But to this I object, 1. I 
desired the Bishop of London to ordain one, 
but could not prevail. 2. If they consented, 
we know the slowness of their proceedings; 
but the matter admits of no delay. 3. If they 
were to ordain them now, they would expect 
to govern them. And how grievously would 
this entangle us ! 4. As our American bre- 
thren are now totally disentangled, both 
from the state and the English hierarchy, we 
dare not entangle them again, either with 
the one or the other. They are now at full 
liberty, simply to follow the Scriptures and 
primitive Church. And we judge it best that 
they should stand fast in that liberty, where- 
with God has so strangely made them free. 
"JOHN WESLEY." 

These documents and extracts are not in- 



90 

troduced by way of argument to prove the va- 
lidity of the orders conferred upon Dr. Coke 
and others; but simply for the purpose of 
showing the views under which Mr. Wesley 
acted; and to evince the purity of his mo- 
tives, as well as the calmness and delibera- 
tion with which he proceeded in this, as he 
did an all the other public acts of his most 
useful life. The authority on which he act* 
ed in reference to this subject, rests upon 
an immoveable basis, as has been already 
proved from scripture and the usages of the 
primitive Church. 

Another object in introducing these docu- 
ments to the reader's notice, is, that, if not 
correctly informed already, he maj r hereby 
have correct information in respect to the 
manner in which the Methodist Episcopal 
Church was first constituted and established. 
And that the whole subject may be before 
him, it may be expedient to make a few ob- 
servations upon the manner in which Dr. 
Coke proceeded to execute his high and im- 
portant trust after his arrival in America. — 
Passing over those incidents which occurred 



91 

on his first arrival on this western continent, 
the pleasing and affectionate interview with 
the venerable Asbury, who had waited with 
anxiou-solicitude his coming,andwhomethim 
in a chapel erected in a forest in Delaware 
State, 1 proceed to remark, that, after un- 
folding the plan, the execution of which was 
intrusted to Dr. Coke by Mr. Wesley, it 
was unanimously agreed by those preachers 
present, to assemble a general conference, 
with all convenient despatch. This was ac- 
cordingly done. The conference was opened 
on Christmas eve, in the city of Baltimore, in 
the year 1784. Although the whole number 
of preachers at that time amounted to eighty- 
one, only sixty were assembled, owing, most 
probably, to the shortness of the notice, and 
the difficulty of communicating intelligence 
of the contemplated arrangement, over such 
a vast tract of territory. In this assembly 
the plans for the future government of the 
Methodist Societies in America, were fully 
unfolded to the preachers; and their general 
principles wljre received very unanimously. 
Mr. Francis Asbury, who had continued 



liis ministerial labours in America, even dur- 
ing the revolutionary struggle, and had, by 
his Christian and dignified deportment, ren- 
dered himself exceedingly dear to the preach- 
ers and societies in the United States, was 
selected by Mr. Wesley to be ordained joint 
superintendent or bishop, with Dr. Coke; 
and although, according to the existing rules 
of the societies, this designation had been 
sufficient for his acceptance, and a sufficient 
warrant for Dr. Coke to consecrate him, 
Mr. Asbury prudently withheld his consent 
until it was obtained by the suffrages 
of the preachers then present, who all 
declared in his favour. Thus did this ve- 
nerable mm of God, whom we consider the 
apostle of America, signify his willingness to 
be servant of all. 

If any are disposed to call in question the 
validity of his appointment to his peculiar 
work, let them recollect that he possessed 
every requisite qualification for so high an 
office and dignity in the church. He had 
given evidence of his spiritual regeneration 
in early life. And before he left his native 
country, he evinced that ardour of devotion. 



33 

that uprightness of character and conduct, 
and those ministerial qualifications, which 
recommended him to the confidence of all 
who knew him, and especially of those 
preachers in connexion with Mr. Wesley, 
who knew him best. While labouring with 
great zeal and usefulness in the work of the 
ministry in his own land, he felt a desire arise 
in his heart to visit America. This desire he 
made known to Mr. Wesley, and others of 
his brethren; and conceiving him well quali- 
fied for the undertaking, and that his impres- 
sions were from God, he was advised to em- 
bark for this country. 

On his arrival here, he immediately enter- 
ed upon his labours, moving from city to city, 
and from place to place, wherever he could 
find people willing to hear the word. His 
great soul, burning with love to God and 
man, would not be confined to a narrow cir- 
cle. He saw large fields before him, white 
and ready to harvest, and into these fields 
he entered and laboured assiduously, using 
every mean in his power to gather the wheat 
into the garner. His journal will show the 
^iificuities he encountered, and thousands of 



94 

living witnesses can testify to the extent and 
success of his ministerial career. While all 
those who came from England as missiona- 
ries to this country, returned to their native 
land, at the commencement of the revolu- 
tionary war, this man of God stood his ground 
in the midst of perils and persecutions, out- 
rode the storm, continuing to guide the ship 
until the calm of political tranquillity present- 
ed asmoother sea, which enabled him to moor 
his ship in a safe and secure harbour. — 
During these sufferings and labours, he ex- 
hibited all those great talents, which qualify 
a man for a Christian bishop. His piety was 
unquestionable, his ministerial talents and 
fidelity were visible to all, and his success in 
the application of them, was equally conspi- 
cuous. He did, indeed, the work of an evan- 



This was the man selected by Mr. Wesley, 
and unanimously chosen by the preachers in 
America, to be bishop of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. How far he answered the 
expectations of his friends in filling his ele- 
vated and responsible office, all the subse- 



95 

quent acts of his life will fully demonstrate. 
In him revived the spirit and practice of the 
ancient itinerating evangelists, in this coun- 
try. And when Dr. Coke, and those who as- 
sisted in the ceremony, laid hands on him, 
they no doubt obeyed the command of 
the Holy Ghost, who said, " Separate to 
me" Francis Asbury " for the work where- 
unto I have called him." He certainly 
gave every evidence which could reasonably 
be expected any human being could give, of 
his call to his peculiar work. He had, for a 
number of years, not only preached, but al- 
so " ruled well," and thereby had " purchas- 
ed to himself a good degree, and great bold- 
ness in the faith." 

From this view of the subject, therefore, 
we think we can furnish substantial proof of 
our conformity to the requirements of the 
gospel, respecting the call and qualification 
of our first ministers. 



CHAPTER VII. 

An Argument from Necessity. 
Notwithstanding all that has been said upon 
this subject, the conduct of Messrs. Wesley, 



96 

Coke, and Asbury, cannot be justified, unless 
it shall appear that there was a necessity from 
the moral state of society, for these proceed- 
ings; for no man can be justified in doing an 
unnecessary work. But if it be found that 
the state of society was such as to demand 
the measures which were pursued in the es- 
tablishment of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, whatever may be urged against 
them will lose all its force, if those mea- 
sures are, at the same time, sanctioned by the 
word of God; for even the necessity of a re- 
formation will not warrant a departure from 
scripture authority, in the means selected to 
bring it about. We have already seen what 
those means were, used by Mr. Wesley and 
his colleagues to effect a separate Church 
establishment in America. Let us now in- 
quire whether there was a necessity for such 
a step to be taken. 

That the state of religious society was 
such in Great Britain, as to demand mighty 
exertions in order to effect a reformation, 
will not, I presume, be disputed by those 
who have studied the history of those times. 



97 

Both clergy and laity, to say no more, 
were generally sunk into a state of great 
lukewarmness ; and had departed in spirit 
and practice from the doctrines and pre- 
cepts of their own church. To be con- 
vinced of this, we need only consult Wesley's 
"Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion,'' and 
Simpson's " Plea for Religion." To say 
nothing of the morals of the people in gene- 
ral, were not the grand distinguishing doc- 
trines of the gospel mostly lost sight of, es- 
pecially the doctrine of "justification by 
faith alone ?" The poor especially, who al- 
ways form the greatest proportion of society, 
were not only neglected as it respects reli- 
gion, but their education was entirely over- 
looked ; and as a necessary consequence, 
they were generally sunk to the lowest state 
of moral degradation. 

To call back the clergy to the spirit and 
practice of the Church to which they be- 
longed, and to revive true religion in the 
nation, was what Mr. Wesley aimed at. — 
Having been made a partaker of the new 
birth himself, he ardently pressed the neces- 
sity of it upon others. And in consequence 



98 

of his pointed appeals to the consciences of 
the people in his public addresses, the bold- 
ness with which he reproved the vices of the 
age, and his unwearied zeal in proclaiming 
the distinguishing doctrines of Christ, par- 
ticularly justification by faith, he gave such 
offence to the dignitaries of the church, and 
others, that tirst one, then another, and final- 
ly almost all the churches were closed against 
him. But let it be recollected, that their 
opposition was not because he introduced 
any doctrine repugnant, either to the scrip- 
tures or to the articles of his church. So 
far from this, that he constantly appealed, 
not only to the sacred scriptures in proof of 
his doctrine, but also to the articles, homilies, 
and liturgy of the Church of England This 
determined opposition/therefore, arose from 
another cause. The fact is, the g reatma- 
jority of the clergy, and of consequence, 
(according to the old adage, " Like priest like 
people,") the laity had departed from the 
articles of their own church, not indeed, in 
a formal manner, but in spirit and practice. 
Accordingly they rose in opposition to the 
man who attempted to reprove them for their 



99 

defection from their own standards of faith 
and practice, and to press upon them the ne- 
cessity of returning unto them. 

r J his single circumstance shows the neces- 
sity of the steps taken by Mr. Wesley. Af- 
ter using every prudent method in his power 
to bring: his brethren of the clergy to a sense 
of their duty, and failing of success, he turn- 
ed his attention to the common people, many 
of whom "heard him ghidly." But being 
refused the use of the churches, he was un- 
der the necessity of proclaiming the gospel 
in the open fields; for a dispensation of the 
gospel was committed to him, and he dared 
not hold his peace. The success, unpara- 
lelled since the apostles' days, which every 
where attended his ministry, made it necessary 
for him to make some provision for their pre- 
servation in the grace of God. i hey could not 
assemble in the open air at all seasons of the 
year, and they soon became too numerous 
to be accommodated in private houses : — 
hence arose the necessity of erecting houses 
of worship in which the people might assem- 
ble to hear the word, and edify each other. — 
This was one of the irregularities of which 



he has been accused; and this arose from 
necessity. Thus, it was necessary the peo- 
ple should be reformed, or lost for ever. 
This must be done through the ministry of 
the word; but Mr. Wesley was denied the 
use of those houses consecrated forth r- 
pose; he was under the necessity* I 
of going into the fields* But this practice 
could not be universally adopted, and neither 
could private houses accommodate the mul- 
titudes who flocked to hear : hence arose the 
necessity of building separate houses of wor- 
ship. 

But the people soon so multiplied, that 
additional pastors were needed, in order to 
provide them with spiritual food. The re- 
gular clergy, so far from administering to 
their spiritual wants, frequently drove them 
from the Lord's table, and persecuted them 
and their leader, in a variety of ways.— 
These, therefore, could not afford that addi- 
tional help which was so much needed. In 
this situation, men were raised up, without 
any forethought, and, indeed, entirely con- 
trary to the wish and design of Mr. Wesley, 



101 

from among his societies, possessed of those 
gifts and graces, which qualified them 
to instruct and build up their brethren in 
faith and love. Th»s help, after overcoming 
the prejudice he had against it, Mr. Wesley 
accepted, as coming directly in the order of 
God's providence. This irregularity, as it 
has been called, arose also from necessity. 
The souls converted to God by the ministry 
of Mr. Wesley must be fed with the sincere 
milk of the word. One minister, though in 
" labours more abundant,'' as Mr. W. evi- 
dently was, could by no means supply them 
all. Most of the clergy who had been set 
apart in the ordinary way for tlje purpose 
of ministering in sacred things, would not do 
their duty; accordingly God raised up,- in 
this extraordinary way, for the people, 
*' pastors after his own heart." The state 
of society, therefore, demanded this depart- 
ure from the established order of things, in 
order to save souls from death. On the 
principle of necessity, then, Mr. Wesley was 
justified in yielding to those measures, which 
God, in his wise, government, seems to have 

appointed for the salvation of souls. 
9* 



102 

But all this applies only to the system of 
things established in Great Britain. Let us, 
therefore, now inquire, whether the argument 
will not apply with equal, if not superior 
force, to the establishment of the church in 
these United States. 

In respect to the necessity of a reformation 
among the people generally, in order to 
bring them to the enjoyment of real religion, 
and thereby save them from destruction, it 
will be allowed by all who estimate the va- 
lue of immortal souls as they ought; for ex- 
perimental godliness was almost a stranger 
among the people, especially in the middle 
and southern States, when the Methodist 
missionaries first visited this country. If it 
be necessary, therefore, for sleepy sinnerg 
to be aroused from their spiritual slumbers, 
and to be brought to the knowledge of the 
truth in order to their salvation, it was ne- 
cessary for some more energetic method of 
preaching the gospel to be adopted, than 
was in use, in this country, sixty years ago. 
But on this part of the subject there can, I 
presume, be but one opinion. All must ad- 
mit the destitute state of many parts of our 



103 

country in respect to the stated means of 
grace, however they may be disposed to 
question the orthodoxy of our sentiments, or 
the validity of our ordination. It is equally 
manifest, I believe, that through the labours 
of the Methodist missionaries a very general 
reformation in the moral conduct of the peo- 
ple has been effected. Tens of thousands, 
through their instrumentality, have been 
raised from the lapse of sin and moral wretch- 
edness, to the favour of God, and to a state 
of moral rectitude. The dying testimony of 
thousands, who have gone to the other world 
with shouts of triumph, might be adduced in 
favour of the blessed effects of that gospel 
which was preached by the Wesleyan Me- 
thodist preachers. 

Now the people thus awakened, and con- 
verted, and collected together into socie- 
ties, believed, both preachers and people, in 
the divine authority of the ordinances of 
baptism and the Lord's supper; but they 
were, generally speaking, equally tenacious 
of the sacred order of the ministry, firmly 
believing that, to be fully authorized to ail- 



104 

minister those ordinances, men must be set 
apart by prayer and imposition of hands. — 
Neither were the people willing to receive 
the ordinances from the hands of those mi- 
nisters, who did not exhibit the marks of gen- 
uine ministers of Christ : they wished to re* 
ceive them from those men Who had been 
made the sweet savour of Christ unto them. 

Indeed, with few exceptions, the Metho- 
dists met with similar treatment in this coun- 
try, to what they did in Europe. Their 
principles were misrepresented by many, 
misunderstood by others, and the propaga- 
tors of them were treated as heretics, who 
only deceived the people for gain, or some 
more unworthy motive. Under these cir- 
cumstances, it is not to be expected that 
other ministers could with much cordiality, 
receive them to their communion, or per- 
form the rite of baptism for them. That 
some degree of necessity arose out of this 
state of things, to make suitable provision to 
afford a supply of the ordinances to the many 
converted under the Methodist ministry, I 
think cannot be reasonably denied. And 
that the state of the case would have justifi- 



105 

ed even a farther deviation from what some 
consider the ordinary method of authorizing 
ministers to discbarge the peculiar functions 
of their office, might be easily shown, even 
from episcopal writers themselves. 

The fact is here assumed as incontroverti- 
ble, that in various parts of our country, par- 
ticularly to the south, where our preachers, 
at that time, principally laboured, the peo- 
ple could not obtain the ordinances of the 
church from ordained clergymen. It is 
true, that in a few, very few instances, some 
clergymen did come forward, and patronized 
the preachers, and administered the or- 
dinances to their people ; but these godly 
men had their own flocks to attend upon, 
and therefore could not devote their time to 
follow an itinerant preacher around his cir- 
cuit to baptize the children, &c. 

Now, if such were the circumstances of 
the people, that they could not be supplied 
with the ordinances as things then were, and 
if it were right and necessary for them to 
have the sacraments, then it was certainly 
necessary that some suitable method should 
He adopted to furnish the people with them. 



106 

In this view of the subject, the argument in 
favour of the Methodist episcopacy, drawn 
from necessity, acquires irresistible force. 
To say that it was right they should have 
the ordinances, and then to say that means 
should not be used to supply them, is extreme- 
ly absurd. We grant, indeed, that necessity 
will not justify any procedure inconsistent 
with, or contrary to, the precepts of Christ; 
but we plead that those precepts do admit of 
adeparture from the ordinary method, in 
cases of necessity. 

In the present instance, however, we do 
not feel ourselves driven to press this argu- 
ment to that extent which a cause of urgent 
necessity might authorize ; because, in the 
establishment of our church, we contend, 
and we think, that, in the preceding part of 
this Essay we have given sufficient reason 
for our opinion, that there was no de- 
parture from the example of the primitive 
Church. On the contrary, we think those 
who set up exclusive claims for an autho- 
rized ministry, on account of their having 
received it down by a regular succession 
from the apostles, by diocesan bishops, sa- 



10? 

perior to elders, and have established na 
episcopacy entirely local, not only acted 
without authority, but have obviously de- 
parted from the usages of the primitive 
Church. This argument, we believe, could 
be brought to bear with no small weight upon 
them — but we forbear, because it is not so 
much our wish to proclaim war upon others, 
as it is to defend ourselves. If those who 
thus unwarrantably assume to themselves the 
only legitimate authority to consecrate mi- 
nisters, and to administer the ordinances of 
the gospel, wiN present us with a regular list 
of bishops, resembling those now existing in 
their church, who have always held the 
same rank, and performed the same duties, 
from either the Church of Jerusalem, Alex- 
andria, \ntioch, or Constantinople, we will 
then review our ground. Until this is done, 
and we believe it never will be, we shall 
rest contented with our present church es- 
tablishment. 



108 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Classical Learning not essential to a Gospel 
Minister. 

It has frequent! v been objected to the Me- 
thodist ministry, that, being illiterate, they 
were destitute of those qualifications essen- 
tial to gospel ministers. It is granted, in- 
deed, that this ministry lays no claim to what 
is generally called learning. Very few of 
them have had the advantage of a liberal or 
college education. But with whatever force 
this objection may be urged against the ge- 
nerality of the Methodist preachers, it cannot 
be brought against the founders of ourChurch. 
Mr. Wesley stands unrivalled in the repub- 
lic of letters. To a critical knowledge of 
the languages, he added a profound know- 
ledge of science in general, and of theology in 
particular. And certainly no man had great- 
er opportunities of forming an accurate ac- 
quaintance of human nature, from actual ob- 
servation, than he. Dr. Coke was also a 
man of erudition. And though Bishop Asbu- 
ry was not regularly educated in college, 
such was his taste for sound learning, and his 



indefatigable industry in the application of 
his mind to useful study, and especially to 
all those subjects which had any connexion 
with his duty as a Christian, as an ordinary 
or extraordinary minister of Jesus Christ, 
that he never was ashamed to lift up his head 
either in public ar private. This objection, 
therefore, cannot lie against the validity of 
our orders ; for those who conferred them 
possessed this qualification also. And though 
we wish ever highly to appreciate learning, 
those men of God possessed that which infi- 
nitely transcends all merely human attain- 
ments — I mean, the knowledge and love of 
God. They had drank deep into the foun- 
tain of divine mercy, and were anointed with 
the unction of the Holy One to preach the gos- 
pel. The sacred truths of the gospel had 
been sealed to their consciences by the 
Holy Ghost. This we consider essential to 
every gospel minister. 

Those who take apostolic usage for their 
authority in church affairs, will not contend 
that a regular college education is essential 

to a minister of Jesus Christ; because it is 
10 



no 

well known that the first ministers called by 
Him, were not thus qualified. When they 
spoke, they were recognized as u unlearned 
and ignorant men." St. Paul indeed was a 
learned man. But, although he was brought 
up at the feet of Gamaliel, and was taught ac- 
cording to the perfect law of his forefathers, 
this by no means qualified him for the work 
of the ministry. Before his call to this sa- 
cred work, he was smitten to the earth by 
the convicting voice of God, passed through 
the pangs of the new birth, arose, and " was 
baptized, washing away his sins;" and then 
the Lord said unto him, u I have appeared 
unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a 
minister and witness, both of these things 
which thou hast seen, and of those things 
in the which I will appear unto thee." Acts 
xxvi. 16. To this important event he no 
doubt alludes, when, speaking of his divine 
call to the apostleship, he says, — " But when 
it pleased God, who separated me from mv 
mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 
to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach 
him among the heathen." Gal. i. 15, 16. 



Ill 

Here is the legitimate source from whence 
every true minister derives his authority.— 
Indeed, all of whom we have any account re- 
specting their call to the work of the minis- 
try, speak of some such revelation of the will 
of God to their hearts. So Isaiah, previous 
to his call to the prophetic office, relates, in 
the most sublime strains, the view he had of 
God, and of himself, Chap. vi. 

No human science, or human attainments 
whatever, however elevated the character 
may be, can supersede the necessity of this 
work of grace upon the heart, and this di- 
vine call by the Holy Ghost; for " the priest's 
lips should" not only " keep knowledge, 
but he should receive the law at his mouth, 
for he is the messenger of the Lord of 
hosts." Mai. ii. 7. " No man taketh this 
honour to himself, but he that is called of 
God, as was Aaron." Heb. v. 4. 

Having made these observations upon the 
necessity of an experimental acquaintance 
with the doctrines of the gospel, and of an in- 
ward call by the Holy Spirit to the work of 
the ministry., we are prepared to say, that 



112 

whatever of human science such a man may 
have, it is of great use in the discharge of 
his ministerial duties. And neither is the 
Methodist Episcopal Church inattentive to 
the education of her ministers. Other me- 
thods may be adopted for the attainment of 
science, besides going through a regular 
course of studies in colleges, or being taught 
in theological seminaries. While we are 
willing to allow to those who have had these 
advantages, if they be otherwise qualified,* 

*"I venerate the man, whose heart is warm, 
Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine, and whose life, 
Coincident, exhibit lucid proof 
That he is honest in the sacred cause. 
To such I render more than mere respect, 
Whose actions say. that they respect themselves. 
But loose in morals, and in manners vain, 
In conversation frivolous, in dress 
Extreme, at once rapacious and profuse; 
Frequent in park, with lady at his side, 
Ambling and pratling scandal as he goes; 
But rare at home, and never at his books, 
Or with his pen, save when he scrawls a card j 
Constant at routs, familiar with a round 
Of ladyships, a stranger to the poor ; 
Ambifious of preferment for its gold, 
And well prepared, by ignorance and sloth, 
By infidelity and love of world, 
To make God's work a sinecure ; a slave 
To his own pleasures and his patron's pride ; 
From such apostles, O ye mitred heads, 
Preserve Ihe Church ! and lay not careless hand* 
On skulls that cannot teach and will not learn." 

Cowper* 



113 

all the superiority which is due to humaiii 
learning, we contend that those acquirements 
are by no means essential, to qualify a man 
to preach the gospel. Learning and piety 
combined, accompanied with a conscious- 
ness of the divine call, constitute the able 
and accomplished minister of Jesus Christ. 

Although, as before stated, we do not 
consider a classical education an essential 
pre-requisite in the qualification of a gospel 
minister, yet we are not unmindful of the 
advantages resulting from a thorough know- 
ledge of the various sciences which have a 
tendency to throw light upon thcsacred pages, 
or to illustrate the different branches of 
Christian theology. Those who have drawn 
an opposite conclusion respecting us, have 
not duly considered this branch of our econo- 
my. The following quotations from our dis- 
cipline, will show our views of the qualifi- 
cations essential to a preacher of righteous- 
ness. Respecting those " who think they are 
moved by the Holy Ghost to preach ," the fol- 
lowingquestions are a sked, viz. " 1. Do they 

know God as a pardoning God ? Have the\ 
10* 



114 

the love of God abiding in them ? Do they 
desire nothing but God ? And are they holy 
in all manner of conversation ? 2. Have they 
gifts, as well as grace, for the work ? Have 
they, in some tolerable degree, a clear, sound 
understanding, a right judgment in the things 
of God, a just conception of salvation by 
faith ? And has God given them any degree 
of utterance ? Do they speak justly, readily, 
clearly ? Have they fruit ? 3. Are any truly 
convinced of sin, and converted to God, by 
their preaching ? As long as these three 
marks concur in any one, we believe he is 
called of God to preach." 

Having satisfactory evidence, by the above 
marks, that a man is called of God to the 
sacred work of the ministry, he receives a 
license, first as a local preacher, and then, 
if approved by his brethren, he is received 
by an annual Conference as a probationer in 
the travelling ministry. In this probationary 
work he continues two years, before he is 
received as a member of the Conference, or 
ordained a deacon. During this time he is 
directed to a regular course of study, and is 
examined by the bishop, or a committee ef 



115 

elders appointed by him, on the various sub- 
jects which had been recommended to his 
consideration. The following is the rule of 
Discipline upon this subject : " It shall be 
the duty of the bishops, or of a committee 
which they may appoint, at each annual Con- 
ference, to point out a course of reading and 
study proper to be pursued by candidates for 
the ministry ; and the presiding elder, when- 
ever such are presented to him, shall direct 
them to those studies which have been thus 
recommended. And before any such candi- 
date is received into full connexion, he shall 
give satisfactory evidence respecting his know- 
ledge of those particular subjects which have 
been recommended to his consideration. 1 ' 
Let it be observed, that these are the steps 
to be taken before the candidate is received 
into the travelling ministry, and of course 
before he is consecrated to the office of a 
deacon. 

In that section of the Discipline of our 
church, which speaks of the manner of em- 
ploying our time profitably, when not engaged 
in preaching, the preacher is exhorted to 



116 

-■# spend all the morning, or at least five hours 
in twenty-four, in reading," " and to read the 
most useful books, and that regularly and 
constantly." ' But,' some are supposed to 
object, i I have no taste for it.' To such it 
is answered, " Contract a taste for it, or re- 
turn to* your former employment." By this 
it will be seen, that if there be any among us 
who despise useful knowledge, or who mani- 
fest an indifference to reading and study, they 
are not sanctioned by the Discipline of their 
church. 

We believe, indeed, that a minister of the 
Lord Jesus ought to be thoroughly furnished 
for the great and important work in which he 
is engaged. Though he may not be acquaint- 
ed with the original languages in which the 
holy Scriptures were written, (which, indeed, 
is very desirable,) he ought at least to under- 
stand his own. And though he is not sent to 
instruct mankind in human science, yet he 
should apply his mind to every branch of 
knowledge, which may enable him the better to 
understand and illustrate the interesting truths 
of God's sacred word. 

Although the pulpit was not erected for 



117 

the purpose of instructing mankind in human 
arts and sciences, yet, being frequently al- 
luded to in the holy Scriptures, a knowledge 
of them will greatly assist to elucidate the 
sacred pages. A thorough knowledge of his- 
tory, both civil and ecclesiastical, tends to 
throw light upon the word of God ; and it is 
peculiarly necessary to ascertain a correct 
view of the various theological controversies 
which have agitated the Christian church. 
Considered in this point of light, these stu- 
dies have an important claim upon the atten- 
tion of the gospel minister. But after all, his 
peculiar work is to bring mankind to an ex- 
perimental acquaintance with Jesus Christ; 
and this may be done by those whose minds 
have never been imbued with classical litera- 
ture. 

This, however, is not said to extenuate 
the fault of those, who, under the pretence 
that human learning is not essential, spend 
their time in mental indolence. It is their 
indispensable duty to spend their whole time 
religiously and conscientiously in the service 
of the sanctuary. So our church teaches, 



118 

See Sect. xvi. of the Form of Discipline. 
A minister who wastes his time in idleness, 
in foolish chit chat, or devotes it to secular 
pursuits, while receiving support from the 
church, for services he never renders, ex- 
cept simply to deliver a sermon now and 
th^.n, deserves to be treated as a hireling, or 
to be discarded as a public nuisance. Is it 
not a disgrace to the ministerial character, to 
see a man under this sacred profession, en- 
tering into worldly speculations, manifesting 
all the cupidity of the subtle merchant, or 
exhibiting the cunning policy of a designing 
politician ? If any conduct is more degrading, 
it is that of a man who, affecting to despise 
useful information in others, merely because 
he has it not himself, spends his precious 
moments in cracking jokes like a silly buf- 
foon, grinning with laughter like a madman ;* 

* " He that negotiates between God and man, 
As God's ambassador, the grand concerns 
Of judgment and of mercy, should beware 
Of lightness in his speech. 'Tis pitiful 
To court a grin, when you should woo a soul*, 
To break a jest, when pity should inspire 
Pathetic exhortation ; and t' address 
The skittish fancy with facetious tales, 
When sent with God's commission to the heart.' 



119 

and thus diffusing a spirit of levity and dissi- 
pation wherever he moves. Surely such 
men have not seriously considered the com- 
mand of the apostle Paul to Timothy — " Study 
to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 
dividing the word of truth.' 5 

But, there is no necessity for a minister to 
neglect the other duties of his office, such as 
visiting the people of his charge for religious 
conversation and prayer, preaching and ad- 
ministering to the sick and afflicted, &c. for 
the sake of study. These duties have an 
imperious demand upon him, and therefore 
claim his first attention. For a minister, 
when called to the performance of these pe- 
culiar duties of his office, to excuse himself 
on account of his studies, exposes his own 
weakness, and betrays a want of that very 

So did not Paul. Direct me to a quip 

Or merry turn in all he ever wrote, 

And I consent you take it fur your text, 

Your only one, till sides and benches fail. 

INo : he was serious in a senous cause, 

And understood too well the weighty terms, 

That he had taken in charge. He would not stoop 

To conquer those by jocular exploits, 

Whom truth and soberness assail'd in vain." 

Cowjptr. 



120 

qualification after which he professes to la- 
bour. To study merely for amusement, es- 
pecially when professional duties demand our 
attention, is a most unpardonable fault in one 
who professes to devote his time and talent to 
the salvation of souls. To exhibit in active 
life a zeal proportionate to the knowledge 
acquired by a close application of the mind to 
useful study, is an evidence of having trea- 
sured up sound wisdom. Knowledge is no 
farther useful than it is applied to practical 
life. While the mind expands with compre- 
hensive views of God in His works and ways, 
and the heart glows with love to God and 
man, let an active zeal for the glory of God 
and the salvation of men exhibit itself on all 
proper occasions. Then shall it be acknow- 
ledged by all that we are sent of God to in- 
struct mankind in that divine science which 
teaches " the knowledge of salvation by the 
remission of sins." These are the essential 
qualifications of a minister of the Lord Jesus. 
It is expected, indeed, that he is sound in the 
faith, that he holds fast the fundamental truths 
of the gospel, such as human depravity, the 
proper atonement of Christ, justification by 



121 

grace through faith in Christ, the witness of 
the Spirit, holiness of heart and life, &c. 

Now, so far as our ministry answers this 
description of character, we think we are 
justified in believing them called of God to 
preach the everlasting gospel ; and if conse- 
crated according to the primitive form, as 
sketched out in the preceding part of this 
little essay, who will say they have not au- 
thority to administer the ordinances of Christ ? 
Shall the traditions of men be substituted for 
the word of God ? Is it said, " that we have 
men among us who do not answer the cha- 
racter above described ?" And suppose this 
■were admitted ? Shall the mistake or the 
neglect of a few individuals be improved into 
an objection against the whole body ? Most 
of whom have made " full proof of their mi- 
nistry," by their successful labours in the 
gospel, and by their godly behaviour and con- 
versation ? 

The Methodist ministry have another test 
by which their authority to preach Jesus 
Christ is evinced. I mean their success. 
I do not mean merely making proselytes to 
tfeeir sect. This is no proof that thev are 
11 



122 

sent by God ; because there are no set of 
men but what may proselyte others to their 
opinions, however erroneous or absurd. But 
I mean their success in turning sinners from 
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
to God. That tens of thousands have been 
truly converted to God, and made new crea- 
tures in Christ Jesus, through their ministry, 
is attested by the most indubitable evidence, 
even their righteous lives, and the triumph-* 
ant deaths of thousands of happy souls. God 
has, indeed, owned the Methodist ministry 
in a very signal manner in this respect. As 
if determined to confound the wisdom of the 
prudent, and evince His own power and good- 
ness, He has selected these instruments, that 
the excellency of the power ?night be of God, 
and not of men. To the multitudes who have 
beep thus brought to the knowledge of God, 
and of His Son Jesus Christ, the Methodist 
ministers may say, " If we be not apostles 
to others, yet doubtless we are to you ;" " Ye 
are our epistle" of commendation, " written 
ip our hearts, known and read of all men." 
We present these fruits of our ministry as 



123 

evidence of our being in the order of God, 
And this appeal is authorized by Scripture. 
When the apostleship of St. Paul was called 
in question by his enemies, among other to- 
pics of self-defence, he adduced the glorious 
effects of his ministrations, in bringing the 
heathen to the obedience of Christ. These 
were a living and incontrovertible testimony, 
which might be " read of all men" of his 
divine call to the work of the Christian mi- 
nistry. And let any impartial observer look 
around upon the moral world, and follow the 
track of the Methodist ministry, and he will 
behold evident traces of the Redeemer's foot- 
steps ; the barren wilderness has become a 
fruitful field, and trees of righteousness stand 
loaded with the fruits of the Spirit. 

We trust, therefore, that this objection, 
the want of a liberal education, cannot, with 
any consistency, be urged against our minis- 
try. U this be wanting, we have that which 
is incomparably more valuable, a clear per- 
ception of the grand system of redemption 
through Jesus Christ, and ap experimental 
knowledge of salvation by grace through 
faith in Him. And whatever of human sci 



124 

ence will tend to diffuse this knowledge 
among men, we wish most ardently to pursue. 

Let those who boast of their exclusive 
authority to preach the gospel, and to admi- 
nister the ordinances of Jesus Christ, adduce 
as many witnesses as the Methodist ministry 
can, of their divine call to the work, and we 
will acknowledge them an equal claim with 
ourselves. Until this is done, we shall think 
it no arrogance to assert our superior claim 
to the grand work of the gospel ministry. 

On the authority of God's word, we go far- 
ther, and say, that unless a man be truly con- 
verted to God, and walk constantly in his 
fear and love, however regularly he may 
have been set apart by the appointment of 
men for the work of the ministry, he is not 
called of God to preach ; and neither shall 
his word profit the people, even though he 
may be in the regular "line of the priesthood, 
according to the fanciful succession asserted, 
without proof, by some. To be convinced 
of this, read the awful declarations of God 
in reference to this subject — " Behold, I am 
against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use 
their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I 



123 

am against them that prophesy false dreams, 
saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause 
my people to err by their lies, and by their 
lightness ; yet I sent them not, nor command- 
ed them ; therefore they shall not profit the 
people at all, saith the Lord." " And as for 
the prophet and the priest, and the people that 
shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even 
punish that man and his house." One would 
suppose that such solemn words of the eter- 
nal God, were sufficient to make to tingle the 
ears of every unholy priest, who is not con- 
scious of his being called and sent of God to 
teach the people ! To all such He saith, " I 
will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, 
and a perpetual shame, which shall not be 
forgotten." Jer. xxiii. 30—40.* 

* " The pulpit, therefore, (and I name it fill'd 
With solemn awe, that bids me well beware 
With what intent I touch that holy thing) — 
The pulpit (when the sat'rist has at last, 
Strutting and vap'ring in an empty school, 
Spent all his force, and made no proselyte) — 
I say the pulpit (in the sober use 
Of its legitimate, peculiar pow'rs) 
Must stand acknowledg'd, while the world shall stand; 
The most important and effectual guard, 
Support, and ornament of Virtue's cause. 

There stands the messenger of truth : there stands 
The legate of the skies ; — His theme divine, 
11* 



According to the custom of the Jews, none 
were admitted into the priesthood, except 
those who were of the regular line ; (though 
others, as Amos, were called in an extraor* 

His office sacred, his credentials clear. 

By him the violated law speaks out 

Its thunders ; and by him in strains as sweet 

As angels use, the gospel whispers peace. 

He stablishes the strong, restores the wenk, 

Reclaims the wand'rer, binds the broken hearty 

And, arm'd himself in panoply complete 

Of heavenly temper, furnishes with arms 

Bright as his own, and trains, by every rule 

Of holy discipline, to glorious war, 

The sacramental host of God's elect ! 

Are all such teachers ?— Would to Heav'n all were ! 

But hark ; the doctor's voice ! — fast wedg'd between 

Two empirics he stands, and with swoln cheeks 

Inspires the news, his trumpet. Keener far 

Than all invective is his bold harangue. 

While through that public organ of report 

tie hails the clergy ; and defying shame, 

Announces to the world his own and theirs ! 

He teaches those to read, whom schools dismiss r d ; 

And colleges, untaught ; sells accent, tone, 

And emphasis in score, and gives to pray'r 

Th' adagio and andate it demands. 

He grinds divinity of other days 

Down into modern use ; transforms old print 

To zigzag manuscript, and cheats the eyes 

Of gallery critics by a thousand arts. 

Are there who purchase of the doctor's ware ? 

O, name it not in Gath ! — it cannot be, 

That grave and learned clerks should need such aid. 

He doubtless is in sport, and does but droll, 

Assuming thus a rank unknown before — 

Grand caterer and dry-nurse of the church!" 

Cowpcr. 



127 

dinary way to prophesy unto the people) but 
even this did not entitle them to the office, 
unless otherwise accredited of God, nor ex- 
empt them from the threatened punishment. 
" And now, O ye priests, this commandment 
is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will 
not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, 
saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a 
curse upon you, and I will curse your bless- 
ings ; yea, I have cursed them already, be- 
cause ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I 
will corrupt your seed — And ye shall know 
that I have sent this commandment unto you, 
that my covenant might be with Levi, saith 
the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with 
him, of life and peace ; and I gave them to 
him for the fear wherewith he feared me, 
and was afraid before my name. The law of 
truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not 
found in his lips : he walked with me in peace 
and equity, and did turn many away from ini- 
quity. But ye are departed out of the way ; 
ye have caused many to stumble at the law ; 
ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, 
saith the Lord of hosts : therefore have I 
made you contemptible $nd base before all 



128 

the people, according as ye have not kept my 
ways, but have been partial in the Jaw." 
Mai. ii. 1 — 9. This tremendous passage 
needs no comment. It is only wished that 
the reader may pay it particular attention. 
Although these priests were descended from 
the house of Levi, Who did walk with God in 
peace and equity, and turned many from ini- 
quity, they were, nevertheless, on account 
of their own departure from the covenant of 
God, threatened with having their seed cor- 
rupted, their blessings cursed, and with being 
made contemptible and base among the people. 
Of what use was it to these corrupt priests, 
to be able to reckon a long line of ancestors 
in the priesthood ? Did that qualify them to 
administer acceptably before the Lord ? Ra- 
ther, did not the malediction of heaven fall 
the heavier upon them for having abused such 
high and distinguished privileges ? 

And did not Christ denounce a similar curse 
upon the scribes and Pharisees, because of 
their sinful defection from the pure demands 
of the law, for their pride and hypocrisy ? 
Ci Beware," says he, " of the scribes, which 
desire to walk in long robes, and love greet- 



129 

iiigs in the markets, and the highest seats in 
the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts ; 
which devour widows' houses, and for a show 
make long prayers : the same shall receive- 
greater condemnation." Luke xx. 46, 47. 
And let any man consult the history of the 
church, especially after the third century, 
and he will find the Christian priesthood 
equally corrupt ; though doubtless there 
were always more or less, who maintained 
the purity of the Christian doctrine and prac- 
tice. And even those who contend for un- 
interrupted succession cannot agree where 
to trace it from, nor, consequently, through 
what channel it has been transmitted. But 
allowing the chain has remained unbroken, 
what virtue could there have been in those 
links which were incrustated with the rust 
of pride, hypocrisy, and almost every abomi- 
nation ? Were the impure hands of these 
men essential to constitute an authorized 
ministry ? Nay, their seed was corrupted, and 
God had rendered them contemptible and base 
among the people, so that the offerings of the 
X*ord were abhorred. Can we suppose fox 



136 

a moment that the Holy One of Israel is thus 
limited in his way of working ! When, by a 
long abuse of his mercies, men have rendered 
themselves vile in His eyes, has he not a right 
to reject them, as he did the sons of Eli, and 
introduce others in their place? Yes, this 
right he has ever exercised, to the confusion 
of human pride, and human wisdom. 

Were our ministry all able to decorate their 
discourses with the elegant habiliments of 
the Greek and Latin classics, it is doubted 
whether their real beauty would be improv- 
ed, or their intrinsic excellence much enhan* 
ced. What a pitiful appearance does a mi- 
x nister of the Lord Jesus make, who abandons 
the sublime and energetic language of inspi- 
ration, substituting in its place the sayings of 
Seneca, Plato, Socrates, or any other of the 
heathen poets and philosophers. Did any of 
these sages of antiquity ever equal the Jew- 
ish prophets, Isaiah, David, and others, in 
beauty, sublimity, and energy of language, 
depth of thought, or purity and elevation of 
sentiment ? Did any of them ever equal the 
Lord Jesus, and his apostles, in profoundness 
©f wisdom, in the beautiful simplicity of their 



131 

style, in perspicuity of illustration, in conclu* 
sive reasoning, or in awakening all the tender 
and sympathetic affections of our nature ? 
They may, doubtless, be studied with plea- 
sure and profit ; but a Christian minister, who 
understands himself, will never exchange the 
poetical compositions of that sweet singer in 
Israel, David, and his associates, for the ver- 
ses of either Homer or Virgil. Neither will 
he descend from the fruitful hills of Palestine, 
where Isaiah and others received their inspi- 
ration, to range in the groves of Greece and 
Italy. While the wise men who inhabited 
the latter places, with all their literary ad- 
vantages, leave you in doubt and fear respect- 
ing some of the most interesting truths, the 
Son of Mary, the fishermen of Galilee, and 
the tent-maker of Tarsus, will throw demon- 
stration in your path, and conduct you infalli- 
bly to the fair fields of immortality. While 
the heathen poets and philosophers leave you 
to pant in a dry and thirsty land, the intrepid 
followers of Jesus of Nazareth will lead you 
to the flowing fountain of the water of life — 

" All truth is from the sempiternal source 

Of light divine. But Egypt, Greece, and Rome, 



132 

brew from the stream below. More favour'd we 
Drink, wben we choose it, from the fountain-head 
To them it flow'd much mingied and defil'd 
With hurtful error, prejudice, and dreams 
Illusive of philosophy, so call d, 
But falsely. Sages after sages strove 
In vain to filter off a crystal draught 
Pure from the lees, which often more enbanc'd 
The thirst than slak'd it, and not seldom bred 
Intoxication and delirium wild." 

Cowper. 

Who would exchange the pleasant and 
healthful bowers of Paradise, for the Elysian 
groves ! Those who have been seated under 
this " shadow with great delight, and have 
found food sweet to their taste, 1 ' will not 
hastily exchange this consecrated ground for 
the unhallowed fields of heathenism. Taught 
in the school of Christ, the Christian minis- 
ter, so long as he remains true to his trust, 
will not forsake his " strong hold," nor cast 
off his "Urim and Thummim," nor ever for- 
get the necessity of the divine afflatus, to en- 
able him effectually to withstand the onsets 
of error, and powerfully to " wield the sword 
of the Spirit, which is the word of God." 

.Neither will such a man place more de- 
pendence on the traditions of men, however 
dignified, than upon the declarations of God i» 



133 

His word, the inward calls of the Spirit, and 
the authority derived from the testimony of 
those who have been truly converted to God 
by his ministry. Though he may be able to 
trace his external designation to the work of 
the ministry to a regular source, in the man- 
ner the Methodist ministry can, still he de- 
rives greater satisfaction from a consciousness 
of his having been called of God, and of hav- 
ing that call made more certain by the conti- 
nual testimony of the divine Spirit, accompa- 
nying his word, and bringing consolation to 
his own heart. 

Not depending, therefore, merely upon 
that corrupt stream through which the Chris- 
tian ministry flowed for so many centuries, 
for the purity of our ministry, or the validity 
ofour ordinances, we make our appeal to those 
marks of a gospel ministry already exhibited, 
and rest our cause upon the arguments we 
have adduced in its defence. When these 
are invalidated by Scripture authority, and 
the usages of the primitive church, we will 
acknowledge our mistake, and either submit 
to a reordination, or give up the work of the 

ministrv for some secular employment. 
12 



134 

CHAPTER IX. 

Of the General Conference — how formed — and 
its Powers. 

Every part of Methodism, as distinguished 
from other Christian establishments, seemed 
to originate from necessity, and from pecu- 
liar circumstances. The introduction of Class- 
meetings originated, in the first place, from 
temporal considerations. The society being 
in debt, one man possessing more wealth than 
some of his brethren, proposed giving a penny 
a week, and, associating eleven others with 
him, he would furnish a penny for each that 
was not able to pay for himself. This brought 
them together once a week ; and this afford- 
ed a fit opportunity to make inquiry respect- 
ing their spiritual welfare also, to reprove 
the disorderly, and to comfort the feeble- 
minded. The necessity of some such regu- 
lation had been long felt, and was now intro- 
duced, says Mr. Wesley, " while we were 
thinking of quite a different thing." 

As the societies multiplied, and it became 
necessary to appoint preachers to provide for 



135 

their spiritual improvement, as these preach- 
ers, according to the itinerant plan pursued 
by Mr. Wesley, were to be changed from 
time to time, it became also necessary for 
them to assemble together, at least once a 
year, in order to consult together, and each 
one take his station, so as not to interfere 
one with another. Thus originated the Con- 
ference, first in Great Britain, and afterward 
in America. But in these United States, to 
which our observations principally relate, 
beins; scattered over so large a territory, it 
soon became very inconvenient for all the 
preachers to assemble in one place. On this 
account, as the work extended, there were 
appointed several annual Conferences in the 
same year, one after another, at a convenient 
distance from each other, for the superin- 
tending bishop to attend and preside in them. 
There are now (1820) twelve annual Con- 
ferences in the United States. After some 
time, when the affairs of the church became 
weighty, it was agreed that there should be 
a general Conference of the elders, as many 
as could conveniently attend, once in four 
years. But as the number of elders conti- 



136 

nually multiplied, it was considered expedi- 
ent to adopt some measure by which the 
number attending on this general Conference 
might be diminished, and yet to preserve 
permanently a sufficient number of the most 
aged and experienced, to form a weighty and 
respectable council to transact the business 
of the church. 

Accordingly, in May 1808, by previous no- 
tification, a general convention of elders was 
called. together with a view to establish a 
delegated general Conference, chosen by 
each annual Conference, by ballot or 
otherwise. This general convention of el- 
ders proceeded, among other things, to form 
a constitution, limiting the powers of all fu- 
ture general Conferences, which, according 
to the present provisions made, were to be 
composed of not more than one for everyjive, 
nor less than one for every seven of the mem- 
bers of each annual Conference; and those 
elders eligible to be members of the delega- 
tion must have travelled four years as preach- 
ers. This is the way that the present dele- 
gated general Conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church was formed. 



137 

Let us now inquire into the powers of 
this Conference. It was said above, that 
this Conference is restricted by constitu- 
tional limits and provisions, in the exercise of 
its powers. By consulting the constitution 
adopted by the abovementioned convention, 
it will appear that the general Conference is 
restricted in the following particulars, (viz^ 
" 1. The general Conference shall not re- 
voke, alter, or change our articles of reli- 
gion, nor establish any new standards or 
rule of doctrine contrary to our present 
existing and established standards of doc- 
trine. 

2. They shall not allow of more than one re- 
presentative for every five members of the 
annual Conference, nor allow of a less num- 
ber than one for every seven. 

3. They shall not change or alter any part or 
rule of our government, so as to do away 
episcopacy, or destroy the plan of an iti- 
nerant general superintendency. 

4. They shall not revoke or change the 
general rules of the united societies. 

5. They shall not do away the privileges of 

our ministers or preachers of trial by a 
12* 



138 

committee, and of an appeal : Neither shall 
they do away the privileges of our mem- 
bers, of trial before the society, or by a 
committee, and of an appeal. 
6. They shall not appropriate the produce of 
the book concern, or of the charter fund, 
to any purpose other than for the benefit 
of the travelling, supernumerary, super- 
annuated, and worn out preachers, their 
wives, widows, and children. Provided 
nevertheless, that upon the joint recom- 
mendation of all the annual Conferences, 
then a majority of two-thirds of the gene- 
ral Conference succeeding, shall suffice to 
alter any of the above restrictions." — 
See Discipline. 

With these exceptions, the general Confer- 
ence have full and ample powers, to modify, al- 
ter, or change, or to make any additional rules, 
they may deem expedient and necessary for 
the benefit of the community. The members 
of our church may, however, rest pretty well 
satisfied in respect to those articles mention- 
ed in the above restrictions, as it is next to 
impossible for any general Conference to 



139 

touch them, according to the provisionally 
article in the concluding paragraph of the 
constitution; for, in the first place, no altera- 
tion can take place in the particulars enu- 
merated, without the joint recommendation of 
all the annual Conferences; and then, se- 
condly, it must be done by a majority of two- 
thirds of the whole Conference ! This 
amounts to almost a total prohibition. 

The general Conference possess the sole 
right of making rules for the government of 
the church, under the above constitutional re- 
strictions; of electing their superintendents, 
their book-agents, and of trying appeals of 
preachers who have been tried and condemned 
by an annual Conference. The annual Con- 
ferences, of course, are but executive bodies, 
except in some cases which relate to their 
own internal regulations, and the raising sup- 
plies for carrying forward the work of God. 
To the general Conference, as they derive 
their authority from them, the superintend- 
ing bishops are responsible for every part of 
their executive administration, which passes 
under review before that body once in four 



140 

years, — and, in the present order of things, 
the superintendents seem to hold themselves 
responsible, not only for their own personal 
administration, but also for every part of the 
executive government* An awful responsi- 
bility ! From which a conscientious man 
might reasonably wish, were it practicable, 
to be delivered. A conscious sense of high 
responsibility, however, is an incitement to 
diligence. But as all executive powers emi- 
nate, now, from the general Conference, 
they must necessarily, as far as the acts of 
said Conference are conformable to the con- 
stitution, be subject to their control, and 
responsible to them for their official conduct, 

* It ought to be recollected, however, that to aid 
them in the safe discharge of their arduous duties, the 
characters of the preachers, both as it respects their 
religious and moral conduct, and their administration 
of discipline, pass in review before an annual Confer- 
ence every year. And the presiding elders, who are 
appointed by the bishops, having travelled through 
their respective districts, are enabled to give an ac- 
count of the talents and usefulness of each preacher. 
This method greatly aids the bishops in the discharge 
of their duty in the appointment of the preachers 
to their stations, as well as relieves them of some 
share of the burden of responsibility. The annual 
"Conferences aid the bishops, in the execution of dis- 
cipline, and the bishops aid the Conferences, in giv- 
ing an energetic direction to their affairs. 



141 

as well as for their moral and Christian be- 
haviour. But the arduous and highly re- 
sponsible duties of the superintendents, as 
well as the fidelity with which they have 
hitherto performed them, well entitle them 
to the sympathy and confidence of the gene- 
ral Conference, and, indeed, to the whole 
Church. 

It will be perceived from the foregoing re- 
strictions, that, however disposed any general 
Conference might be to make innovations 
upon our established doctrines. to do away the 
itinerating superintendency, or to abridge our 
people or ministers of their Christian liberties, 
they have no authority to do so, unless pre- 
viously recommended by all the annual Con- 
ferences, and concurred in by two-thirds of 
the general Conference. 

I know not that we have any account in the 
sacred Scripture, of a particular council of 
ministers, except that recorded in Acts xv. 
which was composed of " the apostles and 
elders, M who " came together for to consider 
of this matter," which was agitated by the 
Pharisees concerning the necessity of cri*~ 



142 

cumcising the Gentile converts, verse 5, (J. 
This assemblage of the apostles and elders is 
referred to here in vindication of the Con- 
ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
It has been objected to us, that we are not 
scriptural, because our Conferences are en- 
tirely composed of ecclesiastics, by which 
the laity are excluded from any share in the 
government of the church. The laity are 
not excluded from any share in the adminis- 
tration of the government, as we shall notice 
presently more fully, although they are, it is 
acknowledged, excluded from any immediate 
share in the legislative acts of the church. 
But whatever may be pleaded from the usa- 
ges of other churches, in favour of associat- 
ing lay members with the body of elders in 
making rules of discipline for the government 
of the church, it is certain, I think, that no 
precedent for this practice can be found in 
the holy Scriptures. The inferior branches 
of the church were mere executive bodies, 
whose duty it was to carry into execution the 
laws enacted by those to whom the right of 
making them belonged. In this respect. 



143 

therefore, we think we are justified from 
Scripture authority. 

Perhaps it may be expedient to observe 
here, that every officer in our church, except 
a Class-leader,* who is appointed by the 
preacher, is elected by a majority of votes. 
The quarterly meeting Conference is com- 
posed of all the stewards, leaders, exhort- 
ers, local and travelling preachers, within 
the bounds of any particular circuit or station. 
They assemble together once in three months, 
to transact the business, temporal and spiri- 
tual, of the circuit. By this body the stew- 
ards, who have the management of the tem- 
poral concerns of the circuit, are, after being 
nominated by the preacher, appointed. A 
young man, who thinks himself called of God 
to preach, makes application to this body, 
and if approved by a majority present, he re- 
ceives a recommendation to the district Con- 
ference of local preachers, signed by the 
president of the meeting, who is generally a 
presiding elder, recommending him to that 
body to be licensed to preach among us. 

• Unless we also except a Presiding Elder. 



144 

In this manner he is elected. If any per- 
son, thus licensed, feels it his duty to enter 
the travelling ministry, being directed to a 
course of. study by the presiding elder, as the 
Discipline in such cases directs, he makes 
application now, since the last general Con- 
ference,* to the district Conference of local 
preachers, and if approved by them, he is 
recommended to an annual Conference. Here 
his character, both as it respects his gifts, 
grace, and usefulness, passes a strict examina- 
tion ; and then, if approved by the voice of a 
majority present, he is received as a proba- 
tioner, in the itinerant ministry. He now is 
placed under some experienced elder on a 
circuit, and continues in his probationary 

* Previous to the last general Conference, all local 
preachers received their license to exercise their gifts 
among us by the suffrage of the quarterly meeting 
Conference ; and also those who designed to apply for 
admission into the travelling ministry, must obtain a 
recommendation from the same body to the annual 
Conference: but the last general Conference institu- 
ted a District Conference of Local Preaclvers, compre- 
hending all the local preachers who have beeu licensed 
two years within the bounds of a presiding elder's dis- 
trict; who have authority "to license proper persons 
to preach, to recommend suitable candidate s to the an- 
nual Conference for deacons' or elders' orders in the 
local connexion, for admission on trial in the travelling 
connexion." See Discipline; last edit. p. 6& 



145 

ministry two years, before he is eligible to 
the office of a deacon. If, at the end of two 
years, nothing appears against him, he is re- 
ceived as a member of an annual Conference, 
elected to the office of a deacon, and ordained 
by the presiding bishop. After two years 
more, if no objections be preferred against 
him, he is elected by the Conference, and 
ordained by the bishop and a select number 
of presbyters, to the office of an elder. From 
among these elders are chosen by ballot, once 
in four years, the delegates which compose 
the general Conference ; and this general 
Conference, when one or more is wanted, 
elect by ballot a bishop or bishops. By this 
brief analysis, it will be seen that every part 
of our government is elective ; and those 
who make the rules, are as much bound by 
them, as it respects their moral, religious, 
and ministerial conduct, as any one else 
And as far as scriptural and prudential means 
will secure to our people a pure and upright 
ministry, so far they are secured by those 
parts of our Discipline which relate to the 
moral and Christian conduct of our ministers. 
13 



146 

as well as to the manner in which an accused 
minister is to be tried, acquitted, suspended, 
or condemned.* And that no minister, who 
may have been accused and condemned, shall 
have any cause to complain, he is allowed an 
appeal from the judgment of an annual to the 
general Conference. The general Confer- 
ence, therefore, may be considered as the 
centre of union to the whole body, and the 
guardian of the rights and privileges of both 
ministers and people. If they abuse their 
powers, an appeal to the Christian world is 
the last resort. 



CHAPTER X. 

Of the Privileges of the Members of our 
Church. 

That every member of the community, 
whether civil or religious, has certain rights 
and privileges, of which no one has authority 
to deprive him, unless forfeited by malcon- 
duct, is a proposition universally admitted. 
The property, reputation, life, as well as the 

# See Discipline, chap. i. sec. xviii. also sec. xiv. xv. 



147 

free exercise of his moral powers in matters 
of judgment, under certain limitations cor- 
rectly ascertained by legal restraints,* are 
the unalienable rights of every individual 
member of society. But no man is at liberty 
to violate the laws of God, or to neglect the 
requirements of the gospel, with impunity. 
There are, moreover, certain prudential re- 
gulations, which grow out of the state of so- 
ciety, and which varying circumstances may 
require to be modified in order to suit such 

* What is meant by these legal restraints is, that 
when a man has voluntarily submitted himself a mem- 
ber of any community, he has also bound himself to 
regulate his conduct according to the laws by which 
that community is governed- If, on more mature con- 
sideration, he finds such rules existing as he cannot con- 
scientiously submit to, he has an unquestionable right 
to state his objections, and, if he cannot, by lawful 
means, effect an alteration, he must quietly withdraw. 
But a man ought ever to distinguish between matters of 
judgment and matters of conscience. The conscience can. 
only be affected about principles that have a moral 
tendency, that go to influence his conduct as a moral 
being, responsible to God for bis conduct. The judg- 
ment is not only employed about these things, but is 
also occupied in discriminating between things of an 
indifferent nature, the mere propriety or impropriety 
of certain things, rites, or ceremonies, or mere usages 
adopted for the sake of convenience, and which do 
not affect the moral conduct of a man. Respecting 
all such merely prudential regulations, a man may, and 
ought to, acquiesce in the judgment of a majority far 
peace sake, 



148 

variations, to which every member of society 
will feel himself under obligation to submit. 
Indeed, without such regulations, and a 
proper submission to them, society cannot 
exist. 

As far as these observations apply to the 
church of Christ, the rulers of said church 
are bound and limited in respect to the rules 
they may prescribe by the unerring word of 
God. And although this word may not de- 
scend to all the minutiae of those prudential 
regulations, the necessity of which might ori- 
ginate from time, or place, or particular ex- 
igencies, yet it has set bounds to men in this 
respect, beyond which they have no right to 
go : but as long as these regulations are kept 
within the limits prescribed by Christ and his 
apostles, every member of the community is 
under an indispensable obligation to submit 
to them. After having examined the canons 
of the church, (and this he should do before 
he becomes a member of it) and having sig- 
nified his belief in them and, determination 
to regulate his conduct by them, he has no 
right, while he remains a member of the 
community, to rise in opposition to them, and 



149 

thereby disturb the tranquillity of the society. 
His only alternative, if convinced there are 
rules to which he cannot with a safe consci- 
ence submit, is, to assign his reasons, and then 
quietly withdraw. If, indeed, he thinks the 
articles of faith, or any part of the govern- 
ment, are so defective, as to require an ex- 
posure, he has the same right as all other 
rational beings have, after he has withdrawn, 
to detect and expose them. 

These observations are made with a view 
to introduce to the reader's notice the rules 
by which the Methodist Episcopal Church 
governs its members. Now, although the 
laity have no hand in making rules, any far- 
ther than they recommend candidates for the 
ministry, yet, it will be found that they have 
a voice in the execution of them. And let 
those rules and regulations be made by whom 
they may, if they are according to scripture, 
or not contrary to an express precept of 
Christ, they must be binding upon all. 

In respect to the general rules by which 
the members of our church are governed as 
it relates to their moral and Christian con- 
duct, they are expressed in as clear and corn- 
13* 



1&) 

prehensive manner as any set of ethics, I 
believe, ever were ; and they include all the 
great principles of morality, and also of Chris- 
tian duty. The condition required of those 
who wish to unite with us is, " A desire to 
flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved 
from their sins." The limits of this work 
will only permit me to refer to the rules in 
the Discipline of our Church. See p. 76. 
last edit. These rules are declared unalter- 
able by the constitution. 

In regard to those who are accused of im- 
moral conduct, of evil words or tempers, or 
of a defection from the order of the church, 
the preacher has no right to execute the cen- 
sure of the church, until such person has had 
an opportunity of answering for himself before 
a select number of his brethren of eqnal 
standing in the church, who act as jurors, 
hear the charge and defence, and examine 
testimony on both sides, and then decide up- 
on the guilt or innocence of the accused per- 
son, according to the weight of evidence. 
And if the accused think himself dealt by 
unjustly ? he has the right of an appeal to the 



151 



quarterly meeting Conference, described ia 
the preceding chapter, who investigate the 
•ubject again, and either confirm or disannul 
the judgment passed upon him. If finally 
condemned, such person can have no farther 
privilege in our church, " until confession, 
contrition, and proper trial. *•* That this 
procedure is both scriptural and rational, I 
presume none will deny. St. Paul told the 
Corinthians, in reference to the incestuous 
member of that church, " In the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered to- 
gether, and my spirit, (that is, my represent- 
ative in the ministry,) with the power of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to 
Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that 
the spirit may be saved in the day of the 
Lord Jesus." 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. And the rea- 
son he assigns for excommunicating this dis- 
orderly person is, " That a little leaven lea- 
veneth the whole lump." ver. 6. The re- 
taining corrupt and immoral members in the 
church; if they will not be reformed, is the 
most effectual way to destroy the purity of 

* Discipline, p. 91. 



152 

the whole body. They must, therefore, be 
cut off. A similar direction St. Paul gave to 
Titus ; " A man that is an heretic, after the 
first and second admonition, reject." Tit. Hi. 
10. The act of the church in excluding a 
member, is founded on the supposition that 
the member has been u guilty of some crime," 
some act of immorality, " expressly forbidden 
by the word of God," and that the guilty 
person is incorrigible in his wickedness. Re- 
specting all such, Christ saith, <k Let him be 
unto thee as an heathen man, and a publican;" 
that is, have no more Christian fellowship 
with him. 

For minor offences, such as u neglect of 
duties of any kind, imprudent eonduct, in- 
dulging sinful tempers or words, or disobedi- 
ence to the order and discipline of the 
church," first private reproof is to be given, 
and if there be an acknowledgment of the 
fault, and proper humiliation, the person is 
to be forgiven ; but if repeated, and continued 
in, no signs of repentance being given, the 
offender must be cut off from the church, as 
a disorderly member.* 

* Discipline, p. 92. 



153 

When any disputes happen between mem- 
bers of our church, (except in extreme ca- 
ses, when a process at law is allowable) the 
parties are directed to refer the subject of 
dispute to arbitrators, two of whom chosen 
by the contending parties, and the third by 
the two arbiters, who shall examine all the 
circumstances of the case, and decide ac- 
cordingly. If either party, however, be dis- 
satisfied with the judgment given, he may ap- 
ply to the quarterly meeting Conference, 
who may, if they judge it expedient, grant a 
second arbitration, consisting of Jive members 
of the church, four to be chosen by the par- 
ties at variance, and the fifth by the other 
four arbiters. Their judgment is final; and 
the person refusing to abide by it. is excluded 
the church.* 

These instances of the manner of exercis- 
ing church discipline are introduced, to show 
the equitable manner in which the members 
of our church are dealt with. And let it be 
recollected, that these privileges cannot be 

* Discipline, p. 42. 



154 

taken from them according to an article in 
the constitutian above recited, even by a 
general Conference, unless as above provi- 
ded. 

Id respect to the temporal concerns of 
the church, although the general Conference 
possess the right of fixing the salary of the 
preachers, yet they have no control over the 
property of the members ; neither is there 
any article in the Discipline, which exposes 
a man to Church censure for not contributing 
to the support of the ministry. 

Notice the allowance which the general 
Conference have given to a preacher, and 
th£n judge whether they have betrayed a 
spirit of avarice, as some have most unwar- 
rantably accused them! One hundred dollars 
is allowed to a single, and two hundred to a 
married preacher annually ; and if he have 
children, sixteen dollars a year is allowed to 
all to the age of seven years, and twenty-four 
dollars annually from the age of seven to four- 
teen years.*" Knowing, however, that this 
allowance is but barely sufficient to furnish 

* Discipline, p. 176. 



155 

clothing for a preacher and his family, the 
general Conference in 1816, authorized each 
quarterly meeting Conference to appoint a 
committee, whose duty it shall be to make an 
estimate of what should be allowed to a married 
preacher for his house-rent, table expenses, 
and fuel.* By this act, the general Confer- 
ence have transferred to the people the right 
of saying what the allowance of their preach- 
ers shall be ; and the stewards are at liberty 
to raise the amount necessary to meet such 
demand in any way they may judge expedi- 
ent. So little control have the preachers 
over the property of the people. All the 
moneys collected for these purposes go into 
the hands of stewards, who are appointed by, 
and are responsible to, the quarterly meeting 
Conference ; and the money is appropriated 
by them as the Discipline in such cases di- 
rects. 

Those who impartially consider these parts 
of our government, will be astonished, (if 
extraordinary things had not long ceased to 
excite astonishment) that any one should cry 

* Discipline, p. 184. 



156 

out against the powers of our ministry. What 
more privileges any people can desire, one 
cannot tell, unless they desire to throw off all 
scriptural restraint, and each one do what is 
" right in his own eyes," and thus introduce 
anarchy and confusion. That a man, fond of 
power, may assume a lordly tone, and exer- 
cise a despotic authority, is granted ; but he 
is not sanctioned by the established authorities 
of his church ; and for any act of mal-admi- 
nistrationhe is responsible to those from whom 
he received his official character. And as 
long as the discipline, which relates to the 
moral and Christian conduct of preachers, is 
enforced, it is impossible the people should 
be long cursed with an immoral minister.* 



CHAPTER XI. 

Itinerating Episcopacy best adapted to promote 
the ends of Church Government. 

It is not my design to enter into a compa- 
rative view of the different modes of church 
government. It is granted that each has its 

* See Discipline, p. 63, last edit. 



157 

peculiar advantages and disadvantages. It 
•eems, indeed, impossible in the present im- 
perfect state of human society, to adjust a 
government that shall obviate every difficulty, 
or secure every advantage. The ministry 
of the Lord Jesus seems called, in the order 
of things, that they may be extensively use- 
ful in their ministrations, to make a sacrifice 
of many of the domestic comforts of life, 
and to endure numerous privations, which 
those, in other circumstances, may lawfully 
enjoy. This, as the apostle Paul said, they 
" endure, for the elect's sake, that they may 
obtain salvation by Jesus Christ." 

We are willing to grant, that a ministry es- 
tablished upon the Presbyterian plan, each 
individual congregation having its stated pas- 
tor, besides affording to the minister all the 
pleasures of domestic life, may also afford 
him an opportunity of becoming more inti- 
mately acquainted with his flock, and, if dili- 
gent in his calling, he may be very useful in 
building them up on their most holy faith. But 
a ministry entirely local, and so much under 
the control, and at the mercy of the people, is 
14 



158 

aot likely to be sufficiently independent to be 
plain and energetic, nor sufficiently diffusive 
for a general spread of the gospel. Plain 
truth, addressed to the consciences of a luke- 
warm people, or the denunciations of heaven 
pointed to the hardened sinner, is very likely 
to give such offence, unless reformation be 
the result, as to make the people clamorous 
against the man who has had the boldness to 
expose their folly and danger. What fol- 
lows ? A dismissal of the faithful minister 
from his charge. Besides, there are but few 
men possessed of that fund of knowledge ne- 
cessary to afford that variety, which seems 
necessary to keep up the attention of the 
people for any great length of time. These 
are some of the disadvantages attendant on & 
ministry entirely local. Its advantages may 
be estimated better by those whose experi- 
ence qualifies them to be more competent 
judges. 

But however we may speculate upon the 
comparative merits of the different systems 
of church order and government, it seems 
reasonable to suppose, that the method adopt- 



159 

ed by Christ and his apostles would be the 
most likely to accomplish the end of redemp- 
tion. This was an itinerating ministry. And 
if the Methodist ministry could furnish no 
other argument in favour of their system, 
that of its being in conformity in this respect, 
to the one pursued by the primitive evangel- 
ists and preachers, might be deemed suffi- 
cient. We wish, however, not to be misun- 
derstood. We do not consider it essential 
that every minister should ride a circuit. In 
all those places, where the congregations are 
sufficiently numerous to demand the presence 
and labours of a stationed pastor, we have 
them stationed, though not for life — they are 
subject to removal, at least at the end of two 
years, and be succeeded by others. By 
this means we secure all the spiritual advan- 
tages of a stationary ministry, and add to those 
advantages possessed by other denominations, 
the interchange of a great variety of ministe- 
rial gifts. Is not the flock of Christ more 
likely to be fed plentifully by these means, 
than it would be by having but one pastor 
continually ? Doubtless the Holy Ghost saw 



160 

this method was best adapted to the state of 
society, or he would not have directed his 
apostles and evangelists to adopt it. 

We know, moreover, that a prudent en- 
forcement of a scriptural discipline, which 
reproves, reforms, or excludes disorderly 
members, as well as protects and encourages 
the faithful, is essential to the prosperity of 
the church. And it is equally certain, that 
if the execution of this discipline is wholly 
in the hands of the people, especially if the 
majority of them are become corrupt, the 
guilty will often escape with impunity. And 
even if the minister be associated with the 
people, if he be constantly stationed among 
them, he is more likely to have his partial 
attachments, to be biassed by interest, or lo- 
cal prejudices, than if he were only resident 
among them for a short time. We are not so 
vain, however, as to suppose the contrary 
system is entirely exempt from these embar- 
rassments in the execution of discipline. All 
that is contended for is, that it has, at least, 
some advantages in this respect. 

That a church, whose chief ministers are 
itinerating superintendents, who annually tra- 



161 

vel through the bounds of the whole work, 
has the advantage, in respect to spreading the 
gospel extensively, I think, must be undis- 
puted. In addition to their being free from 
those local partialities and attachments which 
are so common to men in this life, they are 
capable of overseeing , in the most emphatical 
sense of that word, the whole flock, and are 
the better qualified for an impartial execution 
of the discipline of the church. Add to this, 
the many places in which they may preach 
the word of life, remote from the stated con- 
gregations, and thus perform the work of 
missionaries, while executing the official du- 
ties of their station. 

Another benefit resulting from the mode of 
government established by the Methodist 
Episcopal Church is, that it tends to preserve 
the whole body "in the unity of the spirit 
and the bonds of peace." And certainly this 
is one of the chief ends of church govern- 
ment. The many divisions, and sub-divisions 
witnessed among those denominations, whose 
government is according to the congregational 
plan, which puts an overbalancing power 
14* 



162 



into the hands of the people, are no small 
evidence of some defect in the principle of 
government. Now, although an itinerating 
episcopacy may not altogether obviate these 
evils, yet, it must be acknowledged, that it 
has a tendency to prevent them, and to ce- 
ment the bonds of a general union more 
strongly. Deriving its authority from a ge- 
neral conference of elders, who make a part, 
and a very important part of the episcopacy^ 
and which forms the centre of union to the 
whole mystical body, it carries with it a very 
commanding influence, and operates to pro- 
duce a uniformity of sentiments and views ; 
and also produces a sameness of features 
throughout the entire body. In this respect, 
there is a striking resemblance between ours 
and the primitive church. " We are all one 
body," says Tertullian, " united in one bond 
of religion, discipline, and hope." The 
same may be said, with some trifling excep- 
tions, of the Methodist Episcopal Church : 
for although some have, at times, separated 
from the main body, such have never yet 
prospered: they have either returned to the 



163 

bosom of the church, or otherwise withered 
to insignificance. 

Experience is the most infallible test of all 
theories. This speaks strongly in favour of 
an itinerating episcopacy. The blessed ef- 
fects of this ministry for these fifty years past, 
are seen and acknowledged by all impartial 
minds. So much so, that other denomina- , 
tions have stept into our tracks, in order to 
extend, by these means, the influence of their 
ministry. The various missionaries now 
pouring forth through the land, are but imi- 
tating the Methodist itinerancy, which was in 
successful operation long before one of these 
missionaries was in existence.* This is not 



* It is not meant by this remark, that there were no 
missionaries in existence before our missionaries arose. 
The many missionaries sent forth by the Catholic 
church at different periods, is well known to those con- 
versant with ecclesiastical history. Neither have the 
Protestauts been unmindful of the cause of missions. 
In this country, so early as 1631, attempts were made 
by Elliot and others to evangelize the aborigines of 
North America. These, however, were not properly 
itinerant missionaries. The most laborious in the mis- 
sion cause, have been the Moravians. They have now 
nine different missionary stations. But they are all 
comparatively local stations. These indefatigable men 
were, however, but little before John Wesley, in the 
commencement of their missionary labours. The 
" Particular Baptist Society for propagating the Gospel 



164 

mentioned by way of regret that the Chris* 
tian world is at last awakened to the most ef- 
fectual method of spreading the gospel ; but 
it is done with a view to show the utility of 
the plan. Personal sacrifices of ease, and 
the sweets of social life, must, to be sure, 
be endured, to perpetuate the system ; but 
eternity shall abundantly compensate the 
faithful and conscientious labourer for all his 
hardships which he has endured for Christ's 
sake. 

I have thus endeavoured to give a brief 
view of the economy of our church. I am 
sensible that much more might have been 
said, and doubtless, by some, much more to 
the purpose. But my object has been, 1. 
To condense the whole subject in as few 



among the Heathen,*' was not instituted until 1792, 
long after the Methodist missionaries went forth ; and 
the London Missionary Society did not commence its 
operations until 1795. Since that time various mis- 
sionary establishments have been organized; and 
many missionaries have been sent out. The Method- 
ists arose in London in 1739 ; and in 1766 their mis- 
sionaries came to this country : and their ministry has 
borne a missionary character from the beginning. We 
heartily wish success to every evangelical attempt to 
spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ, whether it be by 
missionary exertions, or by a located ministry. 



165 

word! as possible, that the reader might not 
be lost in a labyrinth of unnecessary reason- 
ings, and useless speculations. 2. It was not 
my design so much to answer arguments, and 
obviate objections, as it was to present an 
impartial view of our church government, 
and of some of the authorities and reasons 
upon which it rests. If these objects are 
accomplished, my end is answered, and shall 
be abundantly compensated for the labour of 
writing. 



APPENDIX. 

Observations on the Duties of the People 
towards their Ministers, 

1th the preceding chapters we have survey- 
ed both the qualifications and the duties of 
ministers of the gospel. They are men called 
of God, first from darkness to light, and then, 
secondly, are called by the Holy Spirit to the 
special work of the ministry. In that church 
we have been reviewing, we have seen 
that a man cannot be an accredited minister 



166 

without making great temporal sacrifices. la 
addition to the extra labour they must neces- 
sarily perform as itinerating men, if they have 
families and relatives, they must tear them- 
selves from all the enjoyments of domestic 
life, and committing their circle of eanhly 
friends to the protection of God, they go fcrth 
into the field, and labour through heat and 
cold, wet and dry, over hill and dale, in orJer 
to gather in the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel. So far from stipulating for a specific 
amount as a pecuniary compensation for their 
labours, they throw themselves upon ;he 
mercy of God and his people, for temporal 
support. And though many of the difficulties 
with which they once contended are now re- 
moved, yet they still many of them at least* 
persevere under very serious embarrassments. 
Were some of them to tell their story, they 
no doubt would extort the tear of sympathy. 
This, however, is not their object. 

We grant, indeed, that they owe their ser- 
vices to the church, and having done all that 
is commanded them, they have nothing where- 
of to glory — they have only done their dity.. 



167 

But there is also a duty which the church 
owes to them. I shall speak, 1. Of the pe- 
cuniary aid without which they cannot pro- 
ceed in their work. 

That every true minister of Jesus Christ, 
who devotes himself exclusively to the ser- 
vice of the sanctuary, is entitled, according 
to the gospel economy, to a competent sup- 
port from the people for whose spiritual ad- 
vantage he labours, is a truth which admits 
of no controversy. How else can they live ? 
Their calling precludes the possibility of at- 
tending to secular business. But the decla- 
ration of the apostle Paul puts the subject 
beyond dispute ; " Even so hath the Lord 
ordained, that they who preach the gospel 
should live of the gospel." " Who goeth," 
says he, " a warfare, at any time, at his own 
charges ? Who planteth a vineyard, and eat- 
eth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth 
a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the 
flock ? Say I these things as a man ? or saith 
not the law the same also ? For it is written 
in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle 
the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the 



168 

com. Doth God take care for oxen ? Orsaith 
he it altogether for oar sakes ? For our sakes, 

no doubt, this is written If we have sown 

unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing 
if we shall reap your carnal things ?" 1 Cor. 
ix. 7 — 11. The meaning of the apostle in 
this passage cannot well be mistaken. He 
declares that a minister of the gospel has the 
same right to expect a maintenance from the 
people who receive spiritual benefit from his 
ministry, as a vinedresser has to partake of 
the fruit of his vineyard, or a shepherd to 
receive of the milk of his flock ; and he sup- 
ports his position by an appeal to the voice 
of God in his law. 

It is true, that in verse 15, he tells them 
that he had " used none of these things, nei- 
ther have I written these things that it should 
be so done unto me ;" but although, from 
prudential considerations, he refused to re- 
ceive any pecuniary compensation from the 
Corinthians, he did receive supplies, at va- 
rious times, from other churches. See Phil, 
iv. 10—16. 2 Cor. xi. 8. It is, indeed, no dis- 
grace for a minister to "labour with his ows 



hands, 35 as this great apostle sometimes did, 
provided it does not interfere with the more 
important duties of his high and responsible 
office. But no one man appears to be ade- 
quate for more than one employment. If 
more be attempted, either the one or the 
other must suffer for want of suitable atten- 
tion. Those, to be sure, whose pecuniary 
circumstances raise them above want, may 
exempt themselves both from secular pursuits, 
and from receiving support from the people ; 
and, perhaps, among the Methodist ministers, 
one such in five hundred may be found ! But 
whatever may be the advantages of some in 
this respect, and however proper and conve- 
nient it may be for others to provide for 
themselves, by attention to secular pursuits, 
it is manifest, that an itinerant ministry, des- 
titute of property, cannot exist without tem- 
poral support from the people. Their mode 
of life, continually upon the move on circuits, 
besides being subject to an annual remove 
from one circuit to another, renders it totally 
impracticable for them to provide for their 
own temporal support. 



170 

This, no doubt, is somewhat of a delicate 
subject to touch. To avoid becoming rich 
by the gospel, on the one hand, and that indi- 
gence, which reduces a man to entire depend- 
ence and suffering, on the other, might re- 
quire nicer calculation, than we are capable 
of making. The restraints which the gospel 
economy lays upon all its professors, and es- 
pecially upon its ministers, forbid their living 
in either ease or luxury at the people's ex- 
pense. This would defeat all the great ob- 
jects of Christianity. On the other hand, to 
reduce the ministry to that state of indigence 
which deprives them of a comfortable sup- 
port, is to destroy that independence and dig- 
nity of character, which they ever ought to 
support. " All that a man hath will he give 
for his life." Mendicity draws after it nu- 
merous evils. It subjects a man to those 
mortifications which naturally tend to destroy 
that noble independence of mind, which 
ought ever to characterize an ambassador of 
the Most High ; or if a man can become in- 
different to this, and throw off all reserve, and 
turn public beggar, how are all those fine 



171 

sensibilities of our nature, which distinguish 
the Christian from the savage, blunted, and 
those exquisite pleasures resulting from equa- 
nimity of soul destroyed ! 

Incompetency of support prevents the ex- 
ercise of gratitude, one of the noblest prin- 
ciples, as well as purest pleasures, of the 
human soul ; and also the acknowledgment of 
justice, which induces a sort of repining, 
equally abhorrent to a liberal mind, and de- 
structive of mutual affection and confidence. 

In addition to these evils, it tempts a man 
to resort to a reprehensible artfulness of con- 
duct, representing the poverty of his condi- 
tion with a view to excite the compassion of 
the people in his behalf. And if there should 
be any sufficiently sordid to hide their real 
condition, in order to gratify an avaricious 
disposition, how does the begging system fa- 
vour their corrupt designs ! In vain may we 
reprobate this niggardly practice, so long as 
we give those an opportunity to indulge in it, 
who may find it convenient for their interest. 
And the most effectual way to banish this 
kind of duplicity is, to adopt a system of 
finance by which a competency may be af- 
forded to all. 



172 

Those who know the feelings of a husband, 
a wife, father, or mother, well know how to 
sympathize with those preachers, who have 
families depending on them for support, and 
who nevertheless feel as if a dispensation of 
1 e gospel is committed to them. Perhaps 
it is one of the most trying circumstances in 
which a man can be placed, to be continually 
labouring for the public good, and then have 
to bow down to that same public, and beg for 
a morsel of bread. Such a state of depend- 
ence must vrry much weaken the ener^ie* of 
the soul 5 and consequently circumscribe his 
ministerial usefulness. 

While it is left, without any kind of ap- 
portionment, to the indiscriminate and volun- 
tary contributions of the multitude, to raise 
the needful supplies, the burden will always 
fall heavy upon a few of the most liberal. 
By this means, the avaricious are leflQn the 
undisturbed possession of their golden god, 
and of their sordid disposition. Whether 
any method can be adopted in the present 
state of things, to remove these embarrass- 
ments, is uncertain. It is, however, very 



173 

desirable that some system might be adopted 
to equalize the burden, if such it may be 
called, as much as possible. 

This desire is authorized by the holy Scrip- 
tures. St. Paul, in his second epistle to the 
Corinthians, says, " For I mean not that other 
men be eased, and you burdened ; but by an 
equality, that now at this time your abun- 
dance may be a supply for their want, that 
their abundance also may be a supply for 
your want, that there may be equality." 
How plain is it that the apostle designed, in 
these directions, to guard against an unequal 
distribution of the public expense ; to prevent 
some being burdened with too great a libera- 
lity, and others eased by withholding what they 
justly owe. And lest the calls of the church 
for such supplies should find them unprepared, 
he instructs them, 1st Ep. ch. xvi. 2. " Upon 
the first day of the week, let every one of you 
lay by him in store, as God hath prospered 
him, that there be no gatherings when I come. " 
Such were the views which this great apostle, 
who was ever attentive to every branch of 
church order and discipline, took of this sub- 
ject. To give merely if we happen to have 
15* 



174 

something in our hands when the call is made 5 
will not answer the injunctions of the apostle ; 
but each individual, according to him, must 
lay by in store , a proportion of his income for 
the use of the sanctuary. 

Itis not intended, however, to plead for legal 
taxation, by which authority is put into the 
hands of the ministry to distrain the people's 
property from them, nor to ensure such a 
permanent income as to feed the proud, the 
avaricious, or luxurious disposition of fallen 
man ; but merely by such an equitable ap- 
portionment of the public expense, as to af- 
ford a reasonable competency to the ministry, 
and to equalize the burden among the people, 
as God hath prospered them. But how can 
this be done, unless it be first ascertained 
what the demands of the current year are 
likely to be ? and then, secondly, each mem- 
ber of the community volunteer to bear an 
equal proportion, according to his ability ? 
This might, in some measure at least, pre- 
vent, as the apostle has said, " some being 
eased, while others are burdened.'' 9 Is it just 
that the whole expense of the church should 
fall on a few liberal souls, as is very frequent- 



175 

\y the case, while others, who are more ava- 
ricious than religious, do little or nothing ? 
Is not covetousness denominated by the apos- 
tle idolatry ? And can that man stand justified 
before God, who withholds from the church 
that which he justly owes it ? God has com- 
manded, " Let him that is taught in the word, 
communicate to him that teacheth in all good 
things." And what shall we say of the man, 
who looks on with that indifference which 
selfishness imparts, while he sees his bene- 
volent brethren, who love the cause of God 
above all things, exerting every nerve to sup- 
port it ? Have such ever considered, That it 
is more blessed to give than to receive ? And 
will they never listen to the voice of justice ? 
Let them not think that we are stepping aside 
from our duty, in reminding them of their duty. 
The apostle Paul left it in charge to Timothy, 
that he should "charge them that are rich in 
this world, that they be not high-minded, nor 
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living 
God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 
that they do good, that they be rich in good 
works, ready to distribute, willing to commu- 
nicate, laying up in store for themselves a 



176 

good foundation against the time to come, fha 
they may lay hold on eternal life." 1 Tim. 
vi. 17, 18, 19. I see no reason why an ava- 
ricious man, who withholds that aid which he 
justly owes, for the furtherance of the gos- 
pel of Christ, should have the fellowship o* 
the saints, any more than for an habitual 
drunkard, or any other immoral man Each 
is equally condemned by the law of God. 

One very serious impediment in the way 
of perpetuating an itinerant system is, the 
want of convenient houses for the accommo- 
dation of preachers' families. To remove a 
family from place to place, and have no con- 
venient residence for their accommodation, 
is a course of great discouragement. This 
has been felt by the general Conference ; and 
they have accordingly passed resolutions to 
obviate the existing difficulty. But it is much 
easier to make laws than to execute them. 
Ought not every member of the church, 
preachers and people, to combine their 
strength, in order to carry the rules of Dis- 
cipline, respecting building and furnishing 
houses, into practical effect ? 



177 

Let those who have been habituated to 
comfortable dwellings, consider the privations 
to which they would be subjected, were they 
compelled, almost every year, to remove 
from ten miles to one hundred, with but lit- 
tle money to bear their expenses, perhaps 
no house prepared to receive them, and then 
but a scanty allowance for their maintenance 
after their arrival ! And let them remember, 
that to such inconvenience many of their 
preachers are subjected every year. Be- 
sides the inconvenience, it subjects us to a 
great annual expense. Were the* money 
which is now expended annualty for moving 
and injuring furniture, employed in purchas- 
ing those articles for domestic use, probably 
in ten years, the whole amount would be 
saved to the preachers and stations. How 
much money, as well as trouble and hardships, 
might be saved and dispensed with, were ano- 
ther method pursued ! 

In those places, where houses, &c. are 
provided, (and, thank God, there are some 
such) and suitable provisions made for tem- 
poral support, the travelling ministry moves 
with the greatest facility. And were the 



178 

ability which exists properly applied to this 
object, there would soon be no complaint 
heard in all the land of our Israel, on the 
subject of annual removals. But unless this 
is done, the itinerating system of spreading 
the gospel, which has been our peculiar glory, 
must gradually weaken, until it breaks under 
its own weight* The partial locations which 
have already taken place, on account of this 
deficiency, by preachers seeking habitations 
of their own, hang like a millstone around 
the neck of the itinerancy, and threaten soon 
to drown it; for those who are thus confined 
to a particular place, must either remove to 
an inconvenient distance from their families, 
or suffer their ministerial usefulness to be 
very much circumscribed. How many of 
our able ministers have already been driven 
from the field for want of temporal support ! 
And many who have worn themselves out in 
the hard service, are left to feel the sad ef- 
fects of poverty. O that I could awaken a 
spirit of emulation upon this subject, both 
among preachers and people ! 

Another serious embarrassment, which ori- 
ginates, in some measure, from the same 



179 

tause, by producing locations, either in whole 
or in part, is, that it exceedingly hampers 
the superintendency in making out the annual 
stations of the preachers. Those who have 
temporary habitations, and such as are em- 
barrassed in their temporal circumstances, 
must be accommodated according to the de- 
mands of their local restrictions, or otherwise 
cease their itinerant labours. This, in addi- 
tion to fettering the superintendency, leads 
to local jealousies and distrust. Were every 
man at liberty to yield to the calls of the 
church, in respect to moving from place to 
place, as circumstances might require, it 
would add vastly to the energy of the govern- 
ment, and tend greatly to give a more diffu- 
sive spread to evangelical principles. And 
the building and furnishing parsonages, with 
a convenient support, would aid much, I 
think, in accomplishing these very desirable 
objects. Locations would be measurably 
prevented, and thus we should save to the 
church age, experience, and useful talents. 
Those who are partially located, would be 
set loose, and might enter the field of itine- 
rancy with their brethren with greater ener- 



180 

gy ; and who would stand before such au 
army of men of God ? 

O ye men of God ! are not these objects 
of sufficient importance and magnitude to 
awaken all the dormant faculties of the soul ? 
What are the glitterings of wealth? What 
the trappings of worldly honours ? What are 
these, when compared to the never-fading 
glories which surround the heads of those 
who have turned many to righteousness ? The 
prospect of being the humble instruments of 
promoting peace on earth, and good will to 
men, brightens before the Christian minister, 
and illumines every step he takes in the path 
of duty. 

Having made these remarks upon the ne- 
cessity of affording a temporal support for the 
ministers of God, I proceed, 

2. To a few observations respecting the 
duty of the people towards their ministers in 
a moral and religious point of view. In what 
may be said on this subject, it will be taken 
for granted, that the ministry is such as it 
onght to be, such as is warranted and author- 
ized by the word of God, who are qualified 
to instruct, and are continually labouring for 



131 

the benefit of the people. St. Peter, after 
exhorting the elders to " feed the flock of 
God which is among you, taking the oversight 
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not 
for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither 
as being Lords over Gods heritage, but be- 
ing ensamples to the flock," adds the follow- 
ing very important injunction; tk Likewise, 
ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder. 
Yea, all of you be subject one to the other, 
and be clothed with humility ; for God resist- 
eth the proud, and giveth grace to the hum- 
ble." 1 Pet. v. 2—5. While he wisely 
warns the ministers against too great an as- 
sumption of power, in being lords over GooVs 
heritage* and enforces upon them the neces- 
sity of exhibiting the virtues of the Christian 
character, by being ensamples to the flock; the 
apostle next inculcates the necessity of that 
subordination, among the several grades in 
the church, so essential to the existence and 
well-being of society ; intimating at the same 
time, thai pride alone prompted individuals 
to refuse subjection to that order which God 
had established ; hence he exhorts them t© 

ia 



182 

humble themselves under the mighty hand of 
God 9 and he would exalt them in due time. 

Order, indeed, as a great divine has observ- 
ed, is the first law of heaven. It stands in- 
separably connected with that rule of immu- 
ble justice upon which the stability of the 
eternal throne stands, and which shines 
throughout all the ways and works of God. 
This order is visible throughout the moral 
and physical world. Trace the fair fabric of 
of creation, and how beautifully do you be- 
hold the nice gradations from the smallest 
part of inanimate creation, till you arrive 
at that inexplicable link which unites the un- 
intelligent and intelligent parts of creation 
together ! and then let your thoughts stretch 
over the vast dominion of intelligences, and 
see how they rise one above another, until 
your mind ascends to God, who is the Maker 
of them all 1 While each keeps his place, 
order and harmony prevail. The being dis- 
contented with the station anyone may occupy, 
is the beginning of rebellion. If not quashed 
in its commencement, it will end in discord 
and destruction. 

If we confine our views to the civilized 



183 

world, we behold the members of society 
rising " rank o'er rank, 1 ' until you arrive to 
those parts of society where office assumes 
an authority over office, and one branch' of 
legislative authority over another, and one 
executive branch over another, until you be- 
hold all civil power concentrated in one su- 
preme head, from whence all civil authority 
emanates. It matters not whether this su- 
preme head be only composed of one, or 
twenty, or twenty hundred individuals, so 
long as it is acknowledged to be the sovereign 
authority, it has, and must necessarily have, 
an uncontrolled dominion over the whole 
body. But, in order to check an improper, 
or destructive exercise of this authority, wise 
men, in all ages, have found it expedient to 
set limits to it by constitutional restrictions. 
By these prudent limitations, the legal autho- 
rity of legislative bodies has been correctly 
ascertained ; and those laws which emanate 
from this legal authority, form the bounds 
and limits for those who are called to obey, 
and for those who are called to execute the 
laws. 



134 

This order is no less visible in the eccle- 
siastical, than in the civil world ; and it is 
recognized, in respect to both, in the sacred 
Scriptures. " And he gave some, apostles ; 
and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; 
and some, pastors and teachers; for the per- 
fecting the saints, for the work of the minis- 
try, for the edifying the body of Christ ; till 
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of 
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a per- 
fect man, unto the measure of the stature of 
the fulness of Christ." Eph. iii. 11—13. 
And a submission to this order of things which 
God hath established in his church, the apos- 
tle declares to be necessary to prevent being 
" tossed to and fro, and carried about with 
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, 
and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in 
in wait to deceive, 1 ' ver. 14. 

Such, indeed, is the present state of hu- 
man society, however refined by grace, and 
improved bv intellectual culture, that it needs 
the restraints of law to keep it together, and 
the influence of executive authority to give it 
a proper direction. And in this, as well as 
in every department of moral government, 



185 

God has suited his economy to the state of so- 
ciety. In the establishment of the church, 
God has provided for its unity, peace, and 
tranquillity ,by adaptinglaws for its government 
to its condition in this state of imperfection ; 
and appointed governors to execute them, 
"not for wrath, but for conscience sake," 
and " not for destruction, but for salvation." 
These governors, indeed, are limited in the 
exercise of their functions, by the express 
declarations of Christ and his apostles ; and 
their duties, which are both arduous and sa- 
cred, are clearly revealed. If they presume 
to exercise a lordly dominion, instead of be- 
ing ensamples of meekness and humility to 
the flock, or to neglect those sacred duties 
which originate from their high and holy of- 
fice, they stand responsible, not only to the 
great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, but also 
to that church which they are called to nou- 
rish and to watch over. 

In this government which God hath esta- 
blished for the well-being of his church, we 
behold different officers, rising gradually one 
over another, all of which are bound to move, 
17 t 



186 

not only in union and harmony with each 
other, but also in subordination one to ano- 
ther. The apostle Paul, in order to illus- 
trate the nice views he had on this subject, 
has compared the church to the human body; 
and shows that, as each member of this body 
has its own pecular place and functions, so 
each member of the church has his own pe- 
culiar place, and particular duties to perform. 
His observations are so strikingly illustrative 
of the present subject, that I make no apology 
for inserting them at length. " Now there are 
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And 
there are diversities of administrations, but the 
same Lord. And there are diversities of ope- 
rations, but it is the same God which worketh 

all in all. For to one is given the spirit of 

wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge, 
by the same Spirit ; to another faith by the 
same Spirit ; to another, the gifts of healing 
by the same Spirit ; to another, the working 
of miracles ; to another; prophecy ; to ano- 
ther, discerning of spirits ; to another, diverse 
kinds of tongues ; to another, the interpreta- 
tion of tongues ; but all these worketh that 



187 

«ne and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every 
one severally as he will. For as the body is 
one, and hath many members, and all the 
members of that one body, being many, are 
one body, so also is Christ." — — " If the foot 
shall say, because I am not the hand, I am 
not of the body ; is it therefore not of the 
body ? If the whole body were an eye, where 
were the hearing ? If the whole were hear- 
ing, where were the smelling ? But now hath 
God set the members every one of them in 
the body, as it hath pleased him. And if 
they were all one member, where were the 
body ? But now are they many members, yet 
but one body. And the eye cannot say unto 
the hand, I have no need of thee : nor again 
the head to the feet, I have no need of you. " 
1 Cor. xii. 4—21. 

The church is made up of two grand divi- 
sions, the ministry and the people ; and they 
are so dependent on each other, that neither 
of them can say to the other, / have no need 
of you. Each of these divisions might be 
subdivided into a variety of members and of- 
fices, every one possessing gifts by the same 

Spirit, differing from one another, each use- 
16* 



188 

ful in its place, and, if used in subordination 
to one another, contributing to the " perfect- 
ing of the saints, and to the building up of 
the body of Christ." In this mystical body, 
every member, and every office, is necessary 
to its perfection, to its vigour, and prosperi- 
ty. But as the hand, in a natural body, can- 
not perform the office of the eye, or head, or 
foot, so in the spiritual, each member must 
know and keep his own place ; one must not 
usurp the place, nor exercise the authority 
of another. All are necessary, and therefore 
useful, in their place and order. 

It would be an easy matter to apply this il- 
lustration to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Christ is the supreme Head of his church. 
But he hath appointed men to act under 
his direction — Evangelists, Elders, Deacons, 
Preachers, &c. every one holding a distinct 
relation to each other, and to the church ge- 
nerally ; and each having his own peculiar 
duties assigned him ; and so long as every 
one moves in his own proper circle, exhibiting 
that scriptural subordination to which we have 
already alluded, there will be peace, harmo- 
iry, and prosperity. 



189 

As long as these officers of Christ move ia 
obedience to his will, so long the' people are 
bound to submit to their authority? in all mat- 
ters of Church government and discipline. 
Those restless spirits, prompted by pride, 
and and a vain conceit of their own abilities, 
who rebel against the order God hath esta- 
blished, rebel against God, and shall receive 
their own punishment. ThU is not pleading 
for submission to the authority of man. It is 
the authority of God. This is the order He 
hath established, for the peace and prosperity 
of his church. 

It is granted, indeed, that if the church 
rulers become so corrupt as to substitute 
their own will for the will of Christ, and to 
impose upon the people unscriptural burdens, 
the people have a right to abjure their au- 
thority, and to seek for redress in an evan- 
gelical way. And to prevent the people from 
such impositions, God hath given into their 
hands his express declarations, especially on 
all matters of Christian faith and practice ; so 
that they may (if they will seek to know) un- 
derstand their own rights and privileges 



190 

Obedience, therefore, on the part of the peo« 
pie is limited by the word of God. 

On this part of the subject, the injunction 
of the apostle Paul must have weight ; " Obey 
them that have the rule over you, and sub- 
mit yourselves ; for they watch for your 
souls, as they that must give account, that 
they may do it with joy, and not with grief: 
for that is unprofitable for you.' 5 Heb. xiii. 
17. An unreserved surrender of our under- 
standings and wills to man merely, we do not 
suppose is what the apostle designed to incul- 
cate ; but to those who were approved and 
sent of God, declaring his counsel according 
to his word, the people are bound to submit ; 
and for this very forcible reason, For they 
watch for your souls as they that must give ac- 
count. But more especially those ministers 
whose official duties are clearly ascertained 
by the discipline of the church, the rules of 
which are founded on the word of God, and 
who perform those duties conscientiously, 
ought to be obeyed ; for it is not to their 
judgment merely that we submit, but to the 
authority of God, and to the judgment of the 
church. This kind of submission to the con- 



191 

stituted authorities of the church, in every 
department, both among the ministry and 
people, is essential to the prosperity of the 
church ; as the contrary conduct is produc- 
tive of wrath, strive, bickerings, anarchy, 
and confusion. Insubordination is totally de- 
structive of peace and harmony. 

It is furthermore the duty of the people to 
pray much for their ministers. " Brethren," 
says the apostle, " pray for us, that the word 
of God may have free course, run, and be 

glorified" "that I may open my mouth 

boldly, and speak as I ought to speak." 
Those ministers who go forth into the field, 
commended to the grace of God, and borne 
up by the prayers of God's people, derive 
unspeakable comfort from the consideration, 
that they are the subjects of many prayers. 
This they ought to do more especially, when- 
ever they assemble to hear the word of God. 
While Zacharias was in the temple burning 
incense before the Lord, " The whole multi- 
tude of the people were praying without, at 
the time of incence." Luke i. 10. And 
surely it is highly becoming a Christian con- 
gregation, whenever they assemble before 



192 

the Lord, to lift their hearts to His Throne, 
and especially for their minister, that he may 
open his mouth boldly, and speak as he ought 
to speak. Those who have experienced it, 
know best how " tremblingly alive all over" a 
conscientious minister feels, whenever he 
ascends the pulpit to address an audience in 
the name of the Lord of hosts. His whole 
frame is frequently agitated, under a sense of 
his awful responsibility. How much does he 
need, therefore, the prayers of the church. 
Brethren, pray for us. 

There is also a sort of kindness and affec- 
tion peculiar to those who estimate a minis- 
ter of the Lord Jesus, as they ought. If not 
expressed in word or act, it will show itself 
in the countenance. How endearing to a 
minister of the cross, after the toils of preach- 
ing, to be seated in the circle of kind and af- 
fectionate friends, who solace him by their 
Christian conduct. Paul felt something of 
this exquisite pleasure, when in the midst of 
his Gaiatian converts ; " They were ready,'" 
to use his own words, tfc to pluck out their 
own eyes, and give them to him." This, 
however, is very far from that fulsome flat- 



193 

tery, or idolizing fondness, which is equally 
unchristian and disgusting 'I he former is 
the genuine fruit of Christian love and affec- 
tion, which every true believer feels for a 
holy and faithful minister of Jesus Christ. 

But I cannot enlarge. I hese few hints 
must suffice. Review the subject. If the 
Methodst ministry be called of God, set apart 
according to the primitive custom, as we 
have endeavoured to show, and have been 
successful in advancing the kingdom of Christ 
among men, then they ought to be received, 
supported, obeyed in the Lord, and encou- 
raged by the prayers and kind treatment of 
God's people. Whether they are such, is 
now submitted to the candid reader. 



ff&o-York, Sept 6, 1820. 



CONTENTS. 



Preliminary Observations . . tf 

Chap. I. Deacons a Distinct Order in the 

Church 12 

Chap. II. Of the Elders and their Duty . 19 

Chap. III. Of Evangelists and their Duty . 42 

Chap. IV. No particular form of Church Go- 
vernment prescribed in Scrip- 
ture 53 

Chap. V. Of the Declension of the Itinera- 
ting Ministry 67 

Chap. VI. The Manner in which the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church was con- 
stituted 72 

Chap. VII. An Argument from Necessity . 85 

Chap. VIII. Classical Learning not essential 

to a Gospel Minister .... 108 

Chap. IX. Of the General Conference — how 

formed — and its Powers . .134 

Chap. X. Of the Privileges of the Members 

of our Church 146 

Chap. XI. Itinerating Episcopacy best adapt- 
ed to promote the Ends of 
Church Government . . . 156 

APPENDIX. 

Observations on the Duties of the 
People towards their Ministers 165 



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